An experimental study of effects of low-level sound in our daily life on a mental task

1. 1. It is often reported that any sound from the neighborhood disturbs one's reading or study, even though it is at a low level.

2. 2. This study was done to clarify the mechanism by which the low level sound in our daily life exerts an influence upon mental tasks.

3. 3. Two experiments were carried out, one by an ordinary, and the other by a social psychological test. In both, a random number generation test was applied as the mental exercise. The levels of presented sounds in each condition were 34–45 dBA in Leq.

4. 4. One of various conditions was in conformity with a setting of“low level noise”, where existence of low level sound is not recognized as an inevitable phenomenon but perceived as the noise.

5. 5. The quality of performance tends to be worse, though the quantitative side can be maintained.

Author Keywords: low-level sound; mental task; random number generation test; social psychological test; neighborhood noise