The role of sleep in people who perceive Low Frequency Noises and its effects on processing speed and cognitive inhibition

Waalkes, Chantal (2023) The role of sleep in people who perceive Low Frequency Noises and its effects on processing speed and cognitive inhibition. Master thesis, Psychology.

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Abstract

Objectives: Low Frequency Noise (LFN) is an environmental stressor, and can have adverse effects on people who perceive LFN. People who are sensitive to LFN report physical, neuropsychological and psychological complaints. To get a better understanding of these complaints, this study aims to (1) investigate what type of sleep problems are experienced by people perceiving LFN, (2) investigate the performance of people perceiving LFN on processing speed and cognitive inhibition, (3) investigate the effect of sleep problems on processing speed and cognitive inhibition in people perceiving LFN compared to the control group. Method: In the first part of this observational study, 199 LFN participants and 380 control participants completed the Pittsburgh-Sleep-Quality-Index (PSQI), a self-report measure used to assess sleep quality. In the second part, a total of 72 LFN participants and 69 control participants were included. This part consisted of a battery of Neuropsychological tests, which included the Stroop-Color-Word Test and the Go/No-go Test to assess processing speed and cognitive inhibition. Results: LFN participants reported a significantly lower sleep quality than the control participants. However, there were no consistent significant differences in the performance of LFN participants on the tests measuring processing speed and cognitive inhibition when compared to the control group. Only one significant difference in the percentile score of the Stoop Trial 2. Conclusion: Study findings suggest that there is an association between people perceiving LFN and the quality of sleep, while suggesting that the effects of LFN on cognitive functioning may require further investigation. Keywords: Low Frequency Noise (LFN), sleep quality, processing speed, cognitive inhibition

Item Type:	Thesis (Master)
Supervisor name:	Erdelyi, K.H.
Degree programme:	Psychology
Differentiation route:	Clinical Neuropsychology (CN) [Master Psychology]
Date Deposited:	16 Aug 2023 08:47
Last Modified:	16 Aug 2023 08:47
URI:	http://gmwpublic.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/2752

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