Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Listening to urban soundscapes
T2 - physiological validity of perceptual dimensions
AU - Irwin, Amy
AU - Hall, Deborah A.
AU - Peters, Andrew
AU - Plack, Christopher J.
PY - 2011/2
Y1 - 2011/2
N2 - Predominantly, the impact of environmental noise is measured using sound level, ignoring the influence of other factors on subjective experience. The present study tested physiological responses to natural urban soundscapes, using functional magnetic resonance imaging and vector cardiogram. City-based recordings were matched in overall sound level (71 decibel A-weighted scale), but differed on ratings of pleasantness and vibrancy. Listening to soundscapes evoked significant activity in a number of auditory brain regions. Compared with soundscapes that evoked no (neutral) emotional response, those evoking a pleasant or unpleasant emotional response engaged an additional neural circuit including the right amygdala. Ratings of vibrancy had little effect overall, and brain responses were more sensitive to pleasantness than was heart rate. A novel finding is that urban soundscapes with similar loudness can have dramatically different effects on the brain's response to the environment.
AB - Predominantly, the impact of environmental noise is measured using sound level, ignoring the influence of other factors on subjective experience. The present study tested physiological responses to natural urban soundscapes, using functional magnetic resonance imaging and vector cardiogram. City-based recordings were matched in overall sound level (71 decibel A-weighted scale), but differed on ratings of pleasantness and vibrancy. Listening to soundscapes evoked significant activity in a number of auditory brain regions. Compared with soundscapes that evoked no (neutral) emotional response, those evoking a pleasant or unpleasant emotional response engaged an additional neural circuit including the right amygdala. Ratings of vibrancy had little effect overall, and brain responses were more sensitive to pleasantness than was heart rate. A novel finding is that urban soundscapes with similar loudness can have dramatically different effects on the brain's response to the environment.
KW - Cognition
KW - Sensation
KW - perception
KW - Normal volunteers
KW - fMRA
KW - PET
KW - MRI
KW - Heart rate
KW - HUMAN AMYGDALA
KW - AUDITORY-CORTEX
KW - FMRI
KW - NOISE
KW - ACTIVATION
KW - AROUSAL
KW - BRAIN
KW - SOUND
KW - PICTURES
KW - STIMULI
U2 - 10.1111/j.1469-8986.2010.01051.x
DO - 10.1111/j.1469-8986.2010.01051.x
M3 - Journal article
VL - 48
SP - 258
EP - 268
JO - Psychophysiology
JF - Psychophysiology
SN - 0048-5772
IS - 2
ER -