Children's perception of their preschool sound environment related to measured sound levels and psycho-acoustic qualities.

In Sweden, approximately 95% of 4-5-year-olds attend preschool, making it a critical setting for early childhood development. During these formative years, children experience essential development of language, cognition, emotional and social skills, and auditory perception, all of which may be influenced by the preschool sound environment. This cross-sectional field study, conducted from 2022 to 2024, investigated preschool children's responses to their indoor sound environment in 15 preschools in Gothenburg. A sample of 100 children aged 4-6 years participated, with 83 completing the Inventory of Noise and Children's Health (INCH) questionnaire. This questionnaire assesses children's emotional reactions, physical responses, coping strategies, and related symptoms, providing a holistic view of how sound affects their well-being. The sound environment was recorded by stationary microphones, personal dosimeters and binaural measurements using child and adult head and torso. By examining the relationship between children's responses and the sound environment registered with conventional and binaural recordings this study aims to investigate in more detail how children experience their preschool sound environment. The results of this analysis will be presented at the conference.