Clinical trial NCT05009784: Effects of Natural Sounds on Attention Restoration in Noisy Environment
Official title: Effects of Natural Sounds on Attention Restoration in Noisy Environment
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: UNKNOWN
Phase: NA
Conditions: Cognitive Fatigue
Mental Fatigue
Heart Rate Variability
Skin Conductance
Behavioral Performance
Positive and Negative Affect
Inhibition
Working Memory
Perceived Restoration
Lead sponsor: Nanyang Technological University
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: National Research Foundation, Singapore
name: Ministry of National Development, Singapore
name: Housing and Development Board, Singapore
First posted: 2021-08-18
Enrollment: 162
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Maximum age (years): 35
Standard ages: ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: TREATMENT

Brief summary: 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.

Detailed 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.

Eligibility criteria: 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

Primary outcomes:
measure: Reverse Corsi Task (Change)
timeFrame: up to 1 hour before and after sound intervention
measure: Reverse Corsi Task (Change)
timeFrame: up to 1 hour before and after sound intervention
measure: Go/NoGo Task (Change)
timeFrame: up to 1 hour before and after sound intervention
measure: Go/NoGo Task (Change)
timeFrame: up to 1 hour before and after sound Intervention
measure: Electrocardiograph (Change)
timeFrame: up to 1 hour before and after sound intervention
measure: Electrodermal Activity (Change)
timeFrame: up to 1 hour before and after sound intervention
measure: Electrodermal Activity (Change)
timeFrame: up to 1 hour before and after sound intervention
measure: Positive and Negative Affect Schedule - Expanded Form (Change)
timeFrame: up to 1 hour before and after sound intervention
measure: Positive and Negative Affect Schedule - Expanded Form (Change)
timeFrame: up to 1 hour before and after sound intervention
measure: Fatigue State Questionnaire (Change)
timeFrame: up to 1 hour before and after sound intervention
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Perceived Restorativeness Soundscape Scale
timeFrame: up to 1 hour after sound Intervention
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Singapore
country: Singapore
facility: Cultural Science Innovations, Nanyang Technological University
Study officials:
References:
citation: Alvarsson JJ, Wiens S, Nilsson ME. Stress recovery during exposure to nature sound and environmental noise. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2010 Mar;7(3):1036-46. doi: 10.3390/ijerph7031036. Epub 2010 Mar 11.
citation: Kaplan S. The restorative benefits of nature: Toward an integrative framework. J. Environ. Psychol. 1995; 15(3): 169-182.