The social side of noise annoyance ( De sociale kant van geluidhinder)

Maris, E. (2008)

Doctoral Thesis

Unfairness increases noise annoyance.
Noise annoyance increases due to unfair sound management. Fair sound management reduces annoyance, however only when the sound pressure level is high, concludes Eveline Maris based on two laboratory experiments.
Being exposed to man-made sound is more than mere exposure: it is a social experience, too: You expose Me. This social hypothesis of noise annoyance has been confirmed in two laboratory experiments. Participants were exposed to aircraft noise (sound pressure level (SPL): 50 or 70 dB A) and treated either in a neutral, fair, or unfair manner. The results show that besides SPL, also the fairness of the procedure determines the level of noise annoyance. The first experiment shows an interaction effect of procedural fairness and SPL: annoyance ratings are significantly lower in the fair than in the neutral condition, but the effect is found only when SPL is 70 dB. The second experiment shows a main effect of procedural unfairness on noise annoyance: annoyance ratings are significantly higher in the unfair than in the neutral conditions, regardless of SPL.
The findings imply that, in addition to noise reduction engineering, application of knowledge on the social side of noise annoyance can help reduce future noise annoyance levels.

• Noise annoyance
• Procedural justice
• Environmental stress
• Nonacoustic factors
• Social psychology

• All authors: Maris, E.
• Supervisor: Stallen, P.J.M.
• Co-supervisor: Steensma, H.; Vermunt, R.
• Committee: Guski, R.; Fields, J.M.; Heijden, A.H.C. van der; Staats, H.
• Qualification: Doctor (dr.)
• Awarding Institution: Department of Social en Organisational Psychology / Cognitive Psychology, Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Leiden University
• Date: 2008-12-17
• Court: LEI Universiteit Leiden