Effects of conversation interference on annoyance due to aircraft noise

The annoyance and interference effects of aircraft flyover noise on face‐to‐face conversation were investigated. Twenty 5‐rain sessions of three flyovers for each session were presented to each of 20 pairs of female subjects in a simulated living room. Flyovers varied in noise level (55–79 dB A‐weighted) and spectrum (low‐or high‐frequency components). Subjects engaged in conversation for 10 sessions and in reverie for the other 10 sessions, and completed subjective ratings following every session. The ratings concerned the annoyance of the noise, the difficulty of conversing in the noise, and acceptability of the noise for conversation. Conversation interference was defined as an increase in vocal effort or cessation of talking during flyovers for each session. Annoyance was affected by noise level, but was not significantly different for the activities—reverie and conversation. A noise level of 77 dB (A‐weighted) was found to be unacceptable for conversation by 50% of the subjects. Furthermore, conversa...