Chen J, Ma H. A Conceptual Model of the Healthy Acoustic Environment: Elements, Framework, and Definition.
Front Psychol 2020;
11:554285. [PMID:
33192806 PMCID:
PMC7658336 DOI:
10.3389/fpsyg.2020.554285]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2020] [Accepted: 09/25/2020] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Noise has been proved to be a risk factor of physiological and psychological health. Therefore, creating a high-quality acoustic environment for people is particularly important. The aims of this study are to explore the basic elements, propose a conceptual framework, and identify the definition of a healthy acoustic environment. Through the method of grounded theory, 75 respondents participated in interviews. The results revealed that (1) "sound sources and acoustic environment," "people's demands," "criteria and standards of a healthy acoustic environment," "matching process," "secondary fitting process," "context," and "acoustic environment quality" are the basic elements of a healthy acoustic environment; (2) "matching process" and "secondary fitting process" connect all the other categories and reflect the processes by which a healthy acoustic environment is judged; (3) based on the associations revealed in the framework, a healthy acoustic environment is defined as a supportive acoustic environment that can match people's physiological, psychological, and behavioral demands in context, and that also fits the criteria and standards. The proposal of a conceptual model for a healthy acoustic environment can provide a new perspective on designing and establishing a high-quality acoustic environment required by people in the near future.
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