Effects of Natural Sounds on Attention Restoration in Noisy Environment (EARS)

March 21, 2023 updated by: Georgios CHRISTOPOULOS, Nanyang Technological University
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.

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed 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.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Anticipated)

162

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Singapore
      • Singapore, Singapore, 639798
        • Recruiting
        • Cultural Science Innovations, Nanyang Technological University

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 35 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

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

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Traffic Sound
600 seconds of traffic sound
Other: Baseline
5-min urban park video clip (Presented on a TV)
Other: Fatigue Manipulation
20-min 2-back task (Presented on a computer)
Other: Traffic Sound
Active Comparator: Traffic Sound (Played through speakers)
Experimental: Traffic and Masking Sounds
600 seconds of traffic and masking sound
Other: Baseline
5-min urban park video clip (Presented on a TV)
Other: Fatigue Manipulation
20-min 2-back task (Presented on a computer)
Other: Traffic and Masking Sound
Experimental: Traffic and Masking Sound (Played through speakers)
Active Comparator: Silence
600 seconds of no sound
Other: Baseline
5-min urban park video clip (Presented on a TV)
Other: Fatigue Manipulation
20-min 2-back task (Presented on a computer)
Other: Silence
No Intervention: No sound (Played through speakers)

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Reverse Corsi Task (Change)
Time Frame: up to 1 hour before and after sound intervention
Change in Span
up to 1 hour before and after sound intervention
Reverse Corsi Task (Change)
Time Frame: up to 1 hour before and after sound intervention
Change in Reaction Time
up to 1 hour before and after sound intervention
Go/NoGo Task (Change)
Time Frame: up to 1 hour before and after sound intervention
Change in Accuracy
up to 1 hour before and after sound intervention
Go/NoGo Task (Change)
Time Frame: up to 1 hour before and after sound Intervention
Change in Reaction Time
up to 1 hour before and after sound Intervention
Electrocardiograph (Change)
Time Frame: up to 1 hour before and after sound intervention
Change in Heart Rate Variability
up to 1 hour before and after sound intervention
Electrodermal Activity (Change)
Time Frame: up to 1 hour before and after sound intervention
Change in Skin Conductance Level
up to 1 hour before and after sound intervention
Electrodermal Activity (Change)
Time Frame: up to 1 hour before and after sound intervention
Change in Skin Conductance Response
up to 1 hour before and after sound intervention
Positive and Negative Affect Schedule - Expanded Form (Change)
Time Frame: up to 1 hour before and after sound intervention
Change in Positive Affect Score
up to 1 hour before and after sound intervention
Positive and Negative Affect Schedule - Expanded Form (Change)
Time Frame: up to 1 hour before and after sound intervention
Change in Negative Affect Score
up to 1 hour before and after sound intervention
Fatigue State Questionnaire (Change)
Time Frame: up to 1 hour before and after sound intervention
Change in Fatigue State Questionnaire Score
up to 1 hour before and after sound intervention

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Perceived Restorativeness Soundscape Scale
Time Frame: up to 1 hour after sound Intervention
Perceived Restorativeness Soundscape Scale Score
up to 1 hour after sound Intervention

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Nanyang Technological University

Collaborators

National Research Foundation, Singapore
Ministry of National Development, Singapore
Housing and Development Board, Singapore

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

August 25, 2021

Primary Completion (Anticipated)

May 15, 2023

Study Completion (Anticipated)

June 15, 2023

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

August 10, 2021

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 12, 2021

First Posted (Actual)

August 18, 2021

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

March 23, 2023

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 21, 2023

Last Verified

March 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • COT-V4-2020-1-S001

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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