The Effects of Noise on Children’s Cognitive Performance: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Noise exposure may interfere with concentration, learning, and executive functions. In children, in particular, the non-auditory consequences of acoustically inadequate conditions are a serious concern. This systematic review examined the evidence from 26 studies investigating the effects of noise on primary school children’s cognitive and academic performance. The reviewed studies show that speech noise significantly impairs children’s verbal working memory. Meanwhile, non-speech environmental noise appears to notably affect academic performance, particularly in reading. Other types of non-speech noise may, instead, even improve the cognitive performance of children, although only for children with low attentional skills. However, only a few studies have compared the impacts of speech and non-speech noise or explored noise effects across various cognitive tasks. And finally, there’s a shortage of both cross-sectional and longitudinal studies assessing developmental effects. Overall, this scarcity limits the ability to draw robust conclusions about noise effects on children’s cognitive and academic abilities.