Noise and Human Efficiency is the sixth volume in this Wiley series on "Studies in Human Performance". It is an account of the effects of noise on human performance. After delineating the physics of sound and noise, and presenting the essentials on the physiology of the ear with its associated brain mechanisms, the book explains the consequences of noise for auditory perception and the comprehension of speech. It also describes the after effects of persistent noise, in the form of various kinds of temporary or permanent deafness. With respect to performance of non-auditory tasks, the book reviews the experiments on annoyance and social disruption, in addition to those on various industrial and laboratory tasks. It brings the record up to date by showing that the effects of noise are not always detrimental. Noise has complex consequences, interacting with such factors as arousal, time-of-day, sex and personality. Although the appropriate psychological theories are reviewed, the author's main aim has been to pick his way through the experimental and methodological complexities in such a way as to show exactly what has been firmly established.
