Auditory stress in multi-person offices - listening tests for the instrumental assessment of stress and strain

Status:

completed 11/2026

Activities/Methods:

Two listening tests were conducted in which participants were exposed to different room acoustic conditions in a virtual shared office. The cohort of participants was limited to office workers. The participants performed realistic work tasks during the listening test in order to increase the ecological validity. In both listening tests, speech was played that was not relevant to the work task and had the purpose of increasing the complexity. The work task in the first test was limited to the acoustic reproduction of words to be memorised (word lists – memory performance). In the second listening test, a visual task was used to illustrate the different activities and their respective requirements. Questionnaires were also used to assess perception and subjective well-being, together with factors specific to individual test participants.

The virtual office represents two different room acoustic variants of a typical working environment and was auralised for each of the tests. One room acoustics condition represents an acoustically unfavourable situation, the other an environment equipped in line with current good practice. The presentation of the 3D office model serves as a visual aid for the test participants to enhance the level of their immersion. The listening tests took place in a controlled acoustic environment in a booth for such tests.

Results:

In the first listening test (auditory task), the room acoustics were found to have a significant influence on memory retention. This was demonstrated despite the high level of interference caused by background conversations.

Analysis of the results of the second listening test (visual task) yielded ambivalent results. Reading speed was not influenced by the differences in room acoustic conditions. A greater disruptive effect was observed in the acoustically inferior situation, however. Overall, the presence of background noise in the form of speech placed greater strain upon the participants.

When the results of the two studies are merged, the test participants’ perceptions provide a good description of the noise environment. The perception differs between the two room acoustic situations, irrespective of the task. However, the results of the work tasks show that the influence of the room acoustics can be evaluated only with consideration of the context: the room acoustics’ influence in the studies can be evaluated only in conjunction with the work task. This suggests that the acoustics of a room can be planned expediently only with consideration for the activities that are to be performed in it.

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