EFFECTS OF NOISE ON PUPIL PERFORMANCE

263 7TH-GRADE PUBLIC SCHOOL CHILDREN WERE TESTED TO DETERMINE WHETHER QUIET (45-55 DB.), AVERAGE (55-70 DB.), AND NOISY (75-90 DB.) CLASSROOM AND EXPERIMENTAL CONDITIONS HAD A RELATIONSHIP TO WRITTEN TASK PERFORMANCE OF RELATIVELY SHORT DURATION. IT WAS HYPOTHESIZED THAT SS WOULD PERFORM BETTER UNDER QUIET THAN UNDER AVERAGE AND NOISY CONDITIONS AND THAT BOYS WOULD BE MORE DETRIMENTALLY AFFECTED BY NOISE THAN GIRLS. NOISE TYPICAL OF THAT EXPERIENCED IN SCHOOLS AND WHITE NOISE WERE BOTH USED. MEANS AND STANDARD DEVIATIONS WERE COMPARED ACROSS THE CONDITIONS USED AND ANALYSES OF VARIANCE WERE PERFORMED ON THE DATA. NO NOISE EFFECT, EITHER DETRIMENTAL OR FACILITATING, WAS DEMONSTRATED ON SPEED OR ON ACCURACY OF PERFORMANCE. SS' PERCEPTIONS OF THE EFFECTS OF NOISE AND MEASURED ANXIETY HAD LITTLE RELATIONSHIP TO ACTUAL PERFORMANCE. (20 REF.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved). © 1968 American Psychological Association.