(Un)Sound management. Three laboratory experiments on the effects of social nonacoustical determinants of noise annoyance

摘要

Noise annoyance is determined by acoustical (e.g., loudness, pitch, predictability) andnonacoustical variables (e.g., sensitivity, attitudes towards the source). What is the role ofsocial nonacoustical variables (e.g., the sound management)? Three laboratory experiments(Maris, Stallen, Steensma and Vermunt, 2004; Maris, Stallen, Vermunt and Steensma,2006a, 2006b) investigating the effects of fair (i.e., ‘voice’), neutral, and unfair (i.e.,inconsistent procedure) sound management procedures on annoyance with fifteen minutesof 50 or 70 dB A (Leq) aircraft sound, are evaluated. Results from each experiment showthat systematic differences in procedural fairness yield systematic differences in annoyance.The combined results suggest that: 1) a psychological model of noise annoyance needs toconsider the social aspects of noise exposure, 2) the operation of social nonacousticaldeterminants depends on the perceived harmfulness of the exposure situation, arising eitherfrom the situation’s acoustics or from its social implications, and 3) aviation noise policiesshould pay due attention to the fairness of their procedures.