A field study on vegetative effects of aircraft noise

Sound level, electrocardiogram, electromyogram, skin conductance, and respiration were recorded under field conditions in 33 airport area residents. During the rcordings, the subjects had to perform different activities (e.g., filling out forms, concentration test, noise assessment, relaxation, and direct conversation with the experimenter). The different activities caused significant shifts in clusters of physiological data in all subjects. Aircraft noise and incidental background noise caused such shifts in the majority of subjects. Subsequent correlational and cluster analysis for the effects of sound intensity revealed interactions with the type of ongoing activity. Vegetative noise responsiveness was not correlated with noise exposure level and subjective complaint behavior, but was correlated with vegetative responsiveness to the different ongoing activities.