Effects of noise on electrodermal activity measures during visual attention task: preliminary results

Noise can cause physiological changes through the activation of the Autonomic Nervous System. The exposure to noise or to other stressful stimuli can cause increase in electrodermal activity (EDA). There is a gap in the scientific literature regarding the non-auditory effects of noise, especially in situations that require attention. We aimed to investigate the non-auditory effects of noise through electrophysiological measure, focusing on electrodermal activity during a visual attention task. Fifteen university students with no hearing loss were evaluated in three conditions: baseline (relaxation in silence) and visual attention task (in silence and with pink noise at 75 dBA). Statistical analysis was performed using the ANOVA test. A statistically significant difference was found regarding the number of peaks of EDA and number of correct responses, comparing all situations. However, the latency of the onset of the first peak and the amplitude of EDA did not show statistically significant difference. The electrodermal activity and the performance on visual attention tasks in university students can be indicators of listening effort and stress.