Aircraft Noise and Children: Longitudinal and Cross-Sectional Evidence on Adaptation to Noise and the Effectiveness of Noise Abatement

Longitudinal and cross-sectional data on effects of aircraft noise on elementary school children are presented as evidence for the effects of community noise on behavior. To examine the generality of previous laboratory findings in a naturalistic setting, the study assesses the impact of noise on attentional strategies, learned helplessness, performance on cognitive tasks, and blood pressure. Children were tested on the same measures twice, with a 1-year interval between sessions. A previous article reported cross-sectional findings from the first testing session. In the present article, longitudinal data are used to determine whether children adapt to the aircraft noise over the 1-year period and to assess the effectiveness of noise abatement interventions introduced in a number of noiseimpacted classrooms. Additional cross-sectional data from the original testing session are also presented to provide further information on the utility of noise abatement. In general, there was little evidence for adaption to noise over the 1-year period. Noise abatement had small ameliorative effects on cognitive performance, children's ability to hear their teachers, and school achievement. The implications of the study for understanding the relationship between noise and behavior and resulting policy implications are discussed.