Effects of Natural Sounds on Attention Restoration in Noisy Environment (EARS)

Nanyang Technological University

Status: Enrolling

Conditions: Cognitive Fatigue; Perceived Restoration; Inhibition; Working Memory; Mental Fatigue; Heart Rate Variability; Positive and Negative Affect; Skin Conductance; Behavioral Performance

Treatments: Other: Silence; Other: Traffic and Masking Sound; Other: Fatigue Manipulation; Other: Traffic Sound; Other: Baseline

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT05009784

COT-V4-2020-1-S001

Details and patient eligibility

About

This study aims to examine whether listening to natural sounds in a noisy (traffic) environment compared to traffic noise only impacts behavioural, cognitive, affective, and physiological markers associated with attention restoration. Attention restoration will be examined as an aspect of cognitive fatigue.

Full description

Based on the Attention Restoration Theory (Kaplan, 1995), we hypothesize that listening to natural sounds has restorative effects on attention by supporting greater use of involuntary attention. This generates the prediction that exposure to natural sounds in the context of a noisy environment will have greater restorative effects on attention (i.e., physiological, affect, cognition, and behaviour) as compared to the control group (exposed to noise only). Individual differences (i.e., age, gender, caffeine and food intake, body mass index, skin temperature, noise sensitivity, sleep quality, baseline physiology and behavioural performance) will be examined and accounted for. A cognitive task will be administered at the beginning of the experiment to induce fatigue to examine the restorative effects of natural sounds.

Enrollment: 162 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 35 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Singapore-based
• Non-clinical
• 18-35years

Exclusion criteria

• Individuals with hearing difficulties or failing to meet the minimal threshold for normal hearing
• Individuals with a history of ear, developmental, neurological, or psychiatric disorder

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

---

162 participants in 3 patient groups

Traffic Sound

Active Comparator group

Description:

600 seconds of traffic sound

Treatment:

Other: Fatigue Manipulation

Other: Baseline

Other: Traffic Sound

Traffic and Masking Sounds

Experimental group

Description:

600 seconds of traffic and masking sound

Treatment:

Other: Fatigue Manipulation

Other: Baseline

Other: Traffic and Masking Sound

Silence

Active Comparator group

Description:

600 seconds of no sound

Treatment:

Other: Fatigue Manipulation

Other: Baseline

Other: Silence