Research Design Connection: White Noise Boosts Hearing
Christensen, Lindén, Nakamura and Barkat determined that white noise can improve ability to hear other sounds, and their work is published in Cell Reports. The investigators found via studies with mice that “With a background of continuous white noise, hearing pure sounds becomes even more precise…the more precisely we can distinguish sound patterns, the better our hearing is. But how does the brain manage to distinguish between relevant and less relevant information – especially in an environment with background noise?…The team was able to demonstrate that the brain’s ability to distinguish subtle tone differences improved when white noise was added to the background. Compared to a quiet environment, the noise thus facilitated auditory perception.” “Good Noise, Bad Noise: White Noise Improves Hearing.” 2019. Press release, University of Basel, https://www.unibas.ch/en/News-Events/News/Uni-Research/Good-noise–bad-noise–white-noise-improves-hearing.html Sally Augustin, PhD, a cognitive scientist, is the editor of Research Design Connections (www.researchdesignconnections.com), a monthly subscription newsletter and free daily …
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