Abstract:
The relationship between environmental noise and the corresponding affective response is poorly understood. To investigate the subjective evaluation of noise, an attempt is made here to analyze the autocorrelation function of alpha persistence when sounds across sound types and with different amplitude modulation depths were presented. A total of fifteen artificial sounds were presented to a small sample (n = 30). Noise sensitivity questionnaires were used to assess sensitivity to noise in general. Findings indicate that the alpha persistence were inconsistent to the perceived annoyance reported by participants and by sensitivity groups. Moreover, present study examined the interrelationship between early auditory processing and level of sensitivity. Results reveal no differences in sensory gating between the noise resistant and the noise sensitive participants. These findings confirm that sensitivity to noise influence the subjective evaluative of noise rather than deficits in auditory processing. Nonetheless, the current study may provide a basis for future studies to evaluate the underlying neural processes and neural network associated with noise annoyance.