Effects of Natural Sounds on Attention Restoration in Noisy Environment

Heart Rate Variability Clinical Trial

— EARS  

Official title:

Effects of Natural Sounds on Attention Restoration in Noisy Environment

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Recruiting

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT05009784
• Other study ID #: COT-V4-2020-1-S001
• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: August 25, 2021
• Est. completion date: June 15, 2023

Study information

• Verified date: March 2023
• Source: Nanyang Technological University
• Contact: Kar Fye Alvin Lee, PhD
• Phone: +6591557981
• Email: alvin.lee[@]ntu.edu.sg
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

This study aims to examine whether listening to natural sounds in a noisy (traffic) environment compared to traffic noise only impacts behavioural, cognitive, affective, and physiological markers associated with attention restoration. Attention restoration will be examined as an aspect of cognitive fatigue.

Description:

Based on the Attention Restoration Theory (Kaplan, 1995), we hypothesize that listening to natural sounds has restorative effects on attention by supporting greater use of involuntary attention. This generates the prediction that exposure to natural sounds in the context of a noisy environment will have greater restorative effects on attention (i.e., physiological, affect, cognition, and behaviour) as compared to the control group (exposed to noise only). Individual differences (i.e., age, gender, caffeine and food intake, body mass index, skin temperature, noise sensitivity, sleep quality, baseline physiology and behavioural performance) will be examined and accounted for. A cognitive task will be administered at the beginning of the experiment to induce fatigue to examine the restorative effects of natural sounds.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Recruiting
• Enrollment: 162
• Est. completion date: June 15, 2023
• Est. primary completion date: May 15, 2023
• Accepts healthy volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers
• Gender: All
• Age group: 18 Years to 35 Years

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• Singapore-based

• Non-clinical

• 18-35years

Exclusion Criteria:

• Individuals with hearing difficulties or failing to meet the minimal threshold for normal hearing

• Individuals with a history of ear, developmental, neurological, or psychiatric disorder

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Cognitive Fatigue
• Fatigue
• Heart Rate Variability
• Inhibition
• Mental Fatigue
• Working Memory

Intervention

Other:
• Baseline
5-min urban park video clip (Presented on a TV)
• Fatigue Manipulation
20-min 2-back task (Presented on a computer)
• Traffic Sound
Active Comparator: Traffic Sound (Played through speakers)
• Traffic and Masking Sound
Experimental: Traffic and Masking Sound (Played through speakers)
• Silence
No Intervention: No sound (Played through speakers)

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
Singapore	Cultural Science Innovations, Nanyang Technological University	Singapore

Sponsors (4)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
Nanyang Technological University	Housing and Development Board, Singapore, Ministry of National Development, Singapore, National Research Foundation, Singapore

Country where clinical trial is conducted

Singapore, 

References & Publications (2)

Alvarsson JJ, Wiens S, Nilsson ME. Stress recovery during exposure to nature sound and environmental noise. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2010 Mar;7(3):1036-46. doi: 10.3390/ijerph7031036. Epub 2010 Mar 11. — View Citation

Kaplan S. The restorative benefits of nature: Toward an integrative framework. J. Environ. Psychol. 1995; 15(3): 169-182.

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Reverse Corsi Task (Change)	Change in Span	up to 1 hour before and after sound intervention
Primary	Reverse Corsi Task (Change)	Change in Reaction Time	up to 1 hour before and after sound intervention
Primary	Go/NoGo Task (Change)	Change in Accuracy	up to 1 hour before and after sound intervention
Primary	Go/NoGo Task (Change)	Change in Reaction Time	up to 1 hour before and after sound Intervention
Primary	Electrocardiograph (Change)	Change in Heart Rate Variability	up to 1 hour before and after sound intervention
Primary	Electrodermal Activity (Change)	Change in Skin Conductance Level	up to 1 hour before and after sound intervention
Primary	Electrodermal Activity (Change)	Change in Skin Conductance Response	up to 1 hour before and after sound intervention
Primary	Positive and Negative Affect Schedule - Expanded Form (Change)	Change in Positive Affect Score	up to 1 hour before and after sound intervention
Primary	Positive and Negative Affect Schedule - Expanded Form (Change)	Change in Negative Affect Score	up to 1 hour before and after sound intervention
Primary	Fatigue State Questionnaire (Change)	Change in Fatigue State Questionnaire Score	up to 1 hour before and after sound intervention
Secondary	Perceived Restorativeness Soundscape Scale	Perceived Restorativeness Soundscape Scale Score	up to 1 hour after sound Intervention