Be Quiet! Effects of Competing Speakers and Individual Characteristics on Listening Comprehension for Primary School Students

Visentin, Chiara; Pellegatti, Matteo; Garraffa, Maria; Domenico, Alberto Di; Prodi, Nicola

doi:10.3390/ijerph20064822

Cited by 5 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 62 publications

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“…For instance, for university students in open-plan environments, it was found that noise sensitivity interacts with the effects of noise on a writing task [15] but not in a collaborative task [16]. Concerning younger students (10-13 years), it was found that higher noise sensitivity was related to increased perceived effort in two-talker noise compared to quiet when performing a sentence comprehension task [17].…”

Section: Effects Of Individual Differencesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cognitive effort in school-aged children

Visentin,

Pellegatti,

Prodi

2024

Proceedings of the 10th Convention of the European Acoustics Association Forum Acusticum 2023

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Sustained cognitive demands from effortful listening may compromise the well-being and learning of school-aged children. It is well-assessed that performing a speech perception task in challenging acoustic conditions (e.g. presence of background noise, too much reverberation) increases the children's effort, due to the need for exploiting additional cognitive resources. However, less is known about the effects of such unfavorable listening conditions on effort concerning tasks that better resemble actual learning activities, and rely on domain-specific skills. This study aimed to investigate the effect of listening conditions on cognitive effort (behavioral and subjective) in primary school children concerning maths. A total of 121 children aged between 8 and 11 years performed a math facts task in quiet and in the presence of a two-talker noise (signal-to-noise ratio: +1 dB). Individual inhibitory skills and noise sensitivity were also assessed in quiet, on the account that they might influence the effect of the listening conditions on the task. Results will help in understanding the mechanisms underpinning effort in school-aged children, thus promoting the acoustic design of more inclusive spaces and informing intervention strategies.

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Section: Effects Of Individual Differencesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cognitive effort in school-aged children

Visentin,

Pellegatti,

Prodi

2024

Proceedings of the 10th Convention of the European Acoustics Association Forum Acusticum 2023

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Literature results show that children struggle to understand speech in this type of auditory masking [2] and the specific effect of the noise on every student is further modulated by his/her abilities and subjective perception. This study aimed to explore the relationship between individual factors (noise sensitivity and cognitive abilities) and listening conditions (masking noise composed by two or four talkers) on a sentence comprehension task for primary school students [3].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of chatter noise on listening comprehension for primary school students

Visentin,

Pellegatti,

Garraffa

et al. 2024

Proceedings of the 10th Convention of the European Acoustics Association Forum Acusticum 2023

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This study investigated the effect of the number of competing speakers on a sentence comprehension task, and how this effect is modulated by individual factors. Seventy-one primary school children (age range: 10-13 years) completed the task in quiet and in two and four competing speakers (signal-to-noise ratio: +5dB). Outcome measures were accuracy and listening effort. Individual factors (cognitive abilities, noise sensitivity) were assessed in quiet. Results showed that students with low selective attention skills and high noise sensitivity are particularly at risk in the condition with two competing speakers, in which a decrease in performance (lower accuracy, slower response times, increased perceived effort) compared to quiet was observed. Understanding the relationship between individual characteristics and sound environment has practical implications for the acoustic design of inclusive and supportive learning spaces.

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Indoor soundscape in primary school classrooms

Visentin,

Torresin,

Pellegatti

et al. 2023

The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America

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Soundscape research on indoor environments is emerging as a topic to be addressed for the design of supportive, healthier, and more comfortable spaces. Only a few studies so far addressed the context of educational buildings, mainly focusing on high schools and universities. This pilot study uses questionnaires based on pictorial scales to investigate the indoor soundscape of classrooms for primary school children (n = 130; 8–10 years old). Perceived loudness and the affective dimensions of pleasantness and arousal were explored. Besides the actual soundscape, the children's ideal soundscape was investigated as well. The results of the study indicate that the most frequent sounds in classrooms are generated by the students themselves (voices, movements) followed by the traffic. The urban context of the school modulates the children's perception when windows are open to ensure natural ventilation. Pleasantness is associated with students' age, perceived loudness, and frequency of children's voices in nearby classrooms. The frequency of hearing indoor sounds (children's voices) and sirens affects students' arousal. Our results indicate that children at school are mostly exposed to unpleasant sounds, whereas their preferred ones are music and nature-related ones. The findings have implications for the design of positive and inclusive learning environments.

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Be Quiet! Effects of Competing Speakers and Individual Characteristics on Listening Comprehension for Primary School Students

Cited by 5 publications

References 62 publications

Cognitive effort in school-aged children

Cognitive effort in school-aged children

Effects of chatter noise on listening comprehension for primary school students

Indoor soundscape in primary school classrooms

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