An experimental study of psychophysiological responses to floor impact sounds

The present study tested psychophysiological responses to floor impact sounds through laboratory experiments. A total of 21 subjects were participated in the experiments. Heart rate (HR), respiration rate (RSP), and elctrodermal activity (EDA) were measured while subjects were exposed to floor impact sounds induced by real impact sources and standard heavyweight impact source (rubber ball). Meanwhile the subjects were instructed to press a button when they notices a sound and rate noise annoyance. The results showed that listening to floor impact noise lowered HR slightly, whereas raised RSP and EDA. The results indicated that the physiological responses were affected by the noise level but the effects of noise type on the responses were not significant. It was found that noise annoyance and noticeability were highly correlated with noise level. The floor impact sounds caused by rubber ball was found to be more noticeable than real impact sounds when maximum noise levels (LAFmax) are greater than 40 dBA.