Topic 1 Environmental

Question 1

Name the main study

Answer 1

Black and Black (2007)

Question 2

Name the 4 additional studies

Answer 2

Glass and singer
Kenrick and MacFarlane
Lundberg
Ellis

Question 3

Aim of the main study

Answer 3

• to test if health related quality of life is worse in a community chronically exposed to noise than one that’s not
• is long-term aircraft noise exposure associated with high blood pressure in adults (noise stress a mediating factor)

Question 4

Sample of the main study

Answer 4

• 2 areas in sydney (questionnaires mailed out to 1500 addresses)
• one area near Sydney Airport (50 aircraft noises, around 70dB a day)
• other area in South Penrith (55km away from sydney airport)
  –> has no aircraft noise exposure but areas matched with noise on socioeconomic indices
• questionnaires sent in english, arabic and greek
• 704 fully answered questionnaires received
• age range 15-87

Question 5

Method of the main study

Answer 5

questionnaire given out measured:
- health (physical, general, vitality and mental health- qs based on SF-36 instrument)
- hypertension (closed end question about medical history related to hypertension e.g. cholesterol levels and blood pressure)
- annoyance from noise (rating scale to identify how annoying participants found the noise sources they find at home e.g. aircraft noise)
- factors which could influence results (e.g. employment status, levels of exercise, smoking status, alcohol consumption, nutrition intake + demographic characteristics)

Question 6

Results of main study

Answer 6

• living in a noise-affected area had a significantly higher mean aircraft annoyance score than those outside of the area
• long-term aircraft noise exposure significantly associated with chronic noise stress (associated with hypertension)

Question 7

describe the additional research by glass and singer

Answer 7

• aim to investigate reasons why noise is stressful
• asked participants to do cognitive tasks while being played a 25 minute recording of noises present in an urban environment
  conditions:
• 56dB or 108dB
• noise in 9 second bursts at regular intervals or unpredictable bursts of irregular length
• some participants given a switch to terminate noise, others weren’t
  (cognitive tasks- trace over shapes without lines overlapping, 2 impossible. asked to correct punctuation and grammar in a book passage)
  results:
• noise being unpredictable and noise perceived as something uncontrollable had the greatest effect on performance

Question 8

describe the additional research by Kenrick and MacFarlane

Answer 8

• studied how drivers (with their windows down in Phoenix, Arizona between April and August) reacted to a car that stayed stationary at a green light for 12 seconds
• measured by an observer hidden from view
• counted number, duration, and latency of honks until first honk
• temperature range between 31-46 degrees celsius
  results
• higher temp increased hostility
• likelyhood of pressing horn + time pressing horn increased with increasing temp
• temp over 38 (34% leaned on their horn for over 50% of the green light interval)

Question 9

describe the additional research by Lundberg

Answer 9

• aimed to investigate overcrowding on commuter trains
• conducted in Sweden
• collected urine samples from men who got on a 72min train at the start of the journey and those who got on half way through
• tested stress through levels of adrenaline in urine
  results
• passengers who boarded the train at the start of the journey had lower levels of adrenaline than those who boarded half way
  conclusions
• the first passengers had seats, or could choose who they sat with. made them feel they had a higher sense of control, so less stressed.

Question 10

describe the additional research by Ellis

Answer 10

rational emotive therapy
- Emotion focussed strategy based around ABCDE model
A -> Activating experience (what is causing the stress)
B -> Beliefs of individual (rational or irrational beliefs about the experience)
C -> Consequences (what consequences arose from this belief)
D -> Dispute beliefs (replace irrational ones with more rational ones)
E -> Effects of the therapy (ideally have a new set of beliefs about the activating experience, will enable individual to cope if stressor recurs in the future)