Improving the hospital 'soundscape': a framework to measure individual perceptual response to hospital sounds
Author(s)
Mackrill, JB
Jennings, PA
Cain, R
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Work on the perception of urban soundscapes has generated a number of perceptual models which are proposed as tools to test and evaluate soundscape interventions. However, despite the excessive sound levels and noise within hospital environments, perceptual models have not been developed for these spaces. To address this, a two-stage approach was developed by the authors to create such a model. First, semantics were obtained from listening evaluations which captured the feelings of individuals from hearing hospital sounds. Then, 30 participants rated a range of sound clips representative of a ward soundscape based on these semantics. Principal component analysis extracted a two-dimensional space representing an emotional-cognitive response. The framework enables soundscape interventions to be tested which may improve the perception of these hospital environments.
Date Issued
2013-09-30
Date Acceptance
2013-08-07
Citation
Ergonomics, 2013, 56 (11), pp.1687-1697
ISSN
1366-5847
Publisher
Taylor and Francis
Start Page
1687
End Page
1697
Journal / Book Title
Ergonomics
Volume
56
Issue
11
Copyright Statement
© 2013 Taylor & Francis. This is an Author's Accepted Manuscript of an article published in Ergonomics, available online at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00140139.2013.835873.
Subjects
Acoustic Stimulation
Adult
Auditory Perception
Emotions
Female
Health Facility Environment
Hospitals
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Models, Theoretical
Noise
Principal Component Analysis
Semantics
Young Adult
Human Factors
1106 Human Movement And Sports Science
1203 Design Practice And Management
1701 Psychology
Publication Status
Published