Development of a Soundscape Questionnaire and Physiological Assessment of Response to the Soundscape

Abstract

The main aim of this study was to develop a quantitative tool to assess the soundscape. The elements of this were developed through the study of written responses to different soundscapes, the extraction of themes, and the translation of those themes into scales. As a parallel, objective, measure of response to the soundscape, physiological changes were also assessed; these would also provide evidence of potential health effects of the soundscape. The response to the soundscape was assessed through qualitative analysis to identify themes in participants‟ writing when subjected to different soundscapes. Based on the themes identified, a short soundscape questionnaire was developed. This was piloted on small groups in two environments with differing soundscapes. Simple statistical measures were performed on the outcomes of the questionnaire in the pilot. The physiological changes in response to different soundscapes were measured quantitatively by using a heart-rate monitor to assess heart rate variability. Results from the qualitative analysis indicated that two categories of themes were found in the writing, known as “features” of the soundscape and “responses” to the soundscape. These themes were used to develop a soundscape evaluative questionnaire consisting of nineteen 6- point semantic differential scales. There were no significant differences in heart-rate variability across soundscape conditions. However, patterns between these conditions were found. The pilot study indicated that the questionnaire was usable, and discriminated well between the soundscapes studied. Nature soundscapes were generally preferred over human and traffic soundscapes, and the traffic soundscapes was the most negatively perceived. This preference was reflected in a range of dimensions for the soundscape response which were used to build the questionnaire. The lack of a significant difference in heart-rate across soundscapes may indicate the need for a combination of autonomic nervous system measures to better characterise the physiological responses towards the soundscape. The questionnaire developed was quick, easy to administer, and effective.