The purpose of the present investigation was to examine the effects of intermittent noise on target detection performance. Specifically, the present study was designed to test whether the effects of noise presented at a 70% on-off, “neutral” ratio are independent of the noise intensity level. Four levels of noise were used: no noise, and 80, 90, and 100 db. The results revealed that detection time was not significantly affected by the noise level. The total number of errors recorded for each noise condition showed that, in general, as intensity level increased, the total number of errors decreased. These findings are related to the concept of “flexibility of attention.”
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
BroadbentD. E.Some effects of noise on visual performance. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 1954, 6, 1–5.
2.
HeimstraN. W.MastT. M.LarrabeeL. L.Effects of fatigue on basic processes involved in human operator performance. Technical Report #1, 1963, Driver Behavior Laboratory, University of South Dakota.
3.
JerisonH. J.WallisR. A.Experiments on vigilance: Performance on a simple vigilance task in noise and in quiet. WADC TR 57–318, 1957.
4.
JerisonH. J.WingS.Effects of noise and fatigue on a complex vigilance task. WADC TR 57–14, 1957.
5.
KirkR. E.HechtE.Maintenance of vigilance by programmed noise. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 1963, 16, 553–560.
6.
McBainW. N.Noise, the “arousal hypothesis,” and monotonous work. Journal of Applied Psychology, 1961, 45(5), 309–317.
7.
SeigelS.Nonparametric statistics for the behavioral sciences.New York: McGraw-Hill, 1956.
8.
TeichnerW. H.AreesE.ReillyR.Noise and human performance, a psychophysiological approach. Ergonomics, 1963, 6(1), 83–97.
9.
WoodheadM. M.Searching a visual display in intermittent noise. Journal of Sound Vibrations, 1964, 1 (2), 157–161.
