Abstract
Three groups of 12 subjects each performed a mental arithmetic task while exposed to continuous white noise in two experimental sessions. In Session I, each group was exposed to a different noise level [56, 72.5, or 85dB(A)], whereas in Session II all had the medium [72.5 dB(A)] intensity. Arithmetic performance deteriorated with increasing noise intensity in Session I, and in Session II each group retained its position relative to the other two groups. Thus, the higher the noise intensity in the first session, the poorer the performance in the second session. These results suggest that the motivation and energy mobilized in Session II were determined by the cognitive set adopted to meet the demands of Session I. Arousal level, as measured by adrenaline excretion and heart rate, was higher during both experimental sessions than in a control session. The rise in adrenaline output was of the same magnitude regardless of the intensity of the noise, which indicates that the subjects adjusted to the increase in total load by slowing down their performance rather than by raising their energy mobilization. Heart rate rose in response to changes in noise level in Session II relative to Session I, regardless of the direction of the change.
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Financial support was obtained from the Swedish Medical Research Council (Project No. 997) and the Swedish Council for Social Science Research. Lennart Forsman and Gunnar Mellander assisted in the collection and treatment of the data, and Lars Holmberg performed the catecholamine analyses.
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Frankenhaeuser, M., Lundberg, U. The influence of cognitive set on performance and arousal under different noise loads. Motiv Emot 1, 139–149 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00998516
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00998516