Decibels and development: How noise exposure at home and school influences early attentional skills

The transition from pre-school to primary school marks a period of rapid cognitive development in children, yet the impact of noise exposure during this stage remains poorly understood. In this longitudinal study, selective and divided attention were assessed in 42 children tested at ages 6 and 7, using subtests of the Intelligence and Development Scales (IDS-2), alongside an extensive personalized noise monitoring campaign. Equivalent sound pressure levels were recorded over several weeks at each child's bedroom façade and inside their classrooms and school cafeterias. Selective attention appeared to depend mainly on individual baseline performance and individual learning curves, while divided attention was significantly associated with noise exposure. At the start of elementary school, higher classroom noise levels were linked to poorer divided attention; however, children in noisier environments showed greater improvement over time, suggesting a catch-up effect during the first school year. Although evening and nighttime noise exposure at home was not a significant baseline factor, it contributed to the observed compensatory pattern through its interaction with time in the linear mixed-effects model. These findings suggest that moderate noise exposure may support the development of more complex attentional skills, such as divided attention, at a young age in a behaviorally typical sample.