Children who attend schools with more traffic noise show slower cognitive development

A new study conducted at 38 schools has suggested that traffic noise at schools has a detrimental effect on the development of working memory and attention in primary-school students. The findings of this study have been published in PLoS Medicine journal.

The study included 2,680 children between 7 and 10 years of age. In order to assess the possible impact of traffic noise on cognitive development, the researchers focused on two abilities that develop rapidly during preadolescence phase and which are essential for learning and school attainment- that is attention and working memory.

Attention includes processes such as selectively attending to specific stimuli or focusing on a specific task for a prolonged period of time while Working memory is the system that allows us to hold information in the mind and manipulate it over a short period of time. When we need to continuously and effectively process information stored in the working memory, we use what is known as complex working memory.

The field work for the study was carried out over a 12-month period during which participants completed the cognitive tests four times. The aim of these tests was not only to assess working memory and attention, but also to study their evolution over time. Over the same period, noise measurements were taken in front of the 38 participating schools, as well as in the playgrounds and inside classrooms.

On completion of the study period, the findings showed that the progression of working memory, complex working memory and attention was slower in students attending schools with higher levels of traffic noise. By way of example if I have to explain, a 5 deciBel increase in outdoor noise levels resulted in working memory development that was 11.4% slower than average.

The complex working memory development was 23.5% slower than average. Similarly, exposure to an additional 5 dB of outdoor traffic noise resulted in attention capacity development that was 4.8% slower than average.

Now if I talk about the differences Between Inside and Outside the Classroom, it was found that children exposed to higher average classroom noise levels over the course of the year performed worse than students in quieter classrooms only on the attention test, but not on the working memory tests. And when talkin about the Noise Exposure at Home, no association was observed between residential noise and cognitive development.

The study hence added that there is an effect of transport on children's cognitive development, which has been observed at schools exposed to aircraft noise as well as at schools exposed to traffic-related air pollution.