The effect of ventilation-related sound stimuli on 11–14 years students’ cognition and soundscape assessments

• Field study on cognition and soundscape in schools with realistic sound scenario. • Acute exposure to Playground activity sound shortened calculation response times. • Acute exposure to Birds enhanced students perception of the acoustic environment. • Natural ventilation sounds improved both cognition and soundscape. In previous research, ventilation-related sounds have mostly been regarded as undesirable and unwelcome noise within the school environment. Conversely, in this study, a soundscape-inspired approach was adopted, where sounds were treated as potential assets to exploit rather than mere disturbances. To test this hypothesis, this research explored the effects of various sonic environments in ventilated classrooms while students were engaged in school tasks. Five sound conditions were compared, namely, quiet, three natural ventilation sounds coming from playground, birdsongs, and traffic respectively, and finally mechanical ventilation sound. Their effects on cognitive performance in calculation and reading comprehension, as well as on participants’ soundscape evaluations were assessed. A total of 229 students aged 11–14 years were tested in their own classrooms. The results (n of participants = 158) indicated that none of the sound conditions exerted a significant effect on reading comprehension, nor did they influence calculation accuracy. However, response times in calculation tasks improved in the presence of playground noise and deteriorate under mechanical ventilation noise. In terms of soundscape assessments, playground was rated as chaotic, mechanical ventilation as monotonous, whereas birdsongs is generally perceived as pleasant. The effects observed on cognitive performance were interpreted by resorting to arousal theory. In particular higher eventfulness seems to improve performance on the selected tasks. Although further research is needed to identify the most advantageous auditory stimuli, those associated with natural ventilation appear to be the most promising.