Assessing the ecological validity of soundscape reproduction in different laboratory settings

PLoS One. 2022 Jun 27;17(6):e0270401. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0270401. eCollection 2022.

Abstract

The ever-growing body of soundscape research includes studies conducted both in everyday life environments and in laboratory settings. Yet, laboratory settings differ from in-situ and therefore may elicit different perceptions. The present study explores the ecological validity of soundscape reproduction in the laboratory using first-order Ambisonics and of different modes of questionnaire administration. Furthermore, it investigates the influence of the contextual factors of time of day, day of the week, and location on site on soundscape evaluations in situ and in the laboratory, based on the Swedish Soundscape Quality Protocol. We first tested measurement invariance between the computer-based and pen-and-paper administration of the soundscape questionnaire. We then investigated the influence of the above-mentioned contextual factors on soundscape evaluations, as well as the effect of stimuli selection in the laboratory. The analyses confirmed the underlying dimensions of proposed soundscape assessment questionnaires, confirmed metric invariance between computer and pen-and-paper, and revealed significant influences of time, day, and location on soundscape scales. This research represents a critical step in rigorously assessing soundscape evaluations in the laboratory and establishes solid evidence for the use of both in situ and laboratory soundscape studies.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Auditory Perception*
  • Noise*
  • Reproduction
  • Surveys and Questionnaires

Grants and funding

The studies in this paper were funded by grants from Canada’s Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (https://www.sshrc-crsh.gc.ca/) [#430-2016-01198 and #890-2017-0065 to CG, Sounds in the City]. The writing of this paper was supported by research grant NSERC RGPAS-2019-00035 from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/) to CG. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.