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4 Environment and BehaviorXX(X) Aside from the previously mentioned personality variables, one individual difference has been particularly salient in research on noise-related outcomes. Noise sensitivity refers to an individual aversion toward and/or reactivity to noise and noisy environments (Job, 1999; Weinstein, 1978). Research on individual noise sensitivity has shown that it is conceptually distinct from extraversion or neuroticism, uncorrelated with noise exposure, and largely independent of auditory acuity or function (Ellermeier, Eigenstetter, & Zimmer, 2001; Job, 1988; Miedema & Vos, 2003; Stansfeld, Clark, Turpion, Jenkins, & Tarnopolsky, 1985). Higher noise sensitivity is related to higher skin conductance responses in the presence of noise (Stansfeld & Shine, 1993), greater reported annoyance (Belojevic & Jakovljevic, 2001), elevated heart rate (Abel, 1990), sleep loss (Jakovljevic et al., 2006), psychiatric disturbance (Stansfeld, Clark, Jenkins, & Tarnopolsky, 1985), and slower habituation in the presence of noise (Stansfeld & Shine, 1993). As made obvious by those findings, the inclusion of some form of measurement for noise sensitivity is paramount to most noise- or soundrelated studies. Although this is accomplished using several different strategies ranging from single-item indicators to standardized scales to noise complaint frequency, some measures have been favored more than others. The Weinstein (1978) Noise Sensitivity Scale (NSS), developed with a college student sample, is considered the most well-researched and widely used formal measure of noise sensitivity (Job, 1999; Miedema & Vos, 2003; Zimmer & Ellermeier, 1999). It has been shown to be psychometrically valid (Ekehammar & Dornic, 1990; Zimmer & Ellermeier, 1999) as well as temporally stable (Stansfeld, 1988; Zimmer & Ellermeier, 1999), and the majority of the research cited previously used this 21-item instrument. The Current Studies As stated previously, noise is an ever-present environmental stressor linked to a host of adverse effects that manifest themselves to varying degrees depending on individual differences in the perceiver of the sound. As a result, characteristics of the listener need to be included in sound research to allow for clear distinctions to be made between effects caused by the stimuli and effects facilitated by the individual. Because noise sensitivity as measured by Weinstein’s (1978) NSS has been shown to be a critical individual difference factor in the perception of noise and the evaluation of noise-related outcomes, it should probably be measured in most humanbased noise research projects. Exploring noise effects in applied research contexts such as museums and national parks is becoming more common (e.g., <strong>Jakubowski</strong>, 2011; Pilcher, Newman, & Manning, 2009). As the
<strong>Benfield</strong> et al. 5 compliance rate for agreeing to intercept interviews with participants in these applied settings declines with the length of questionnaires employed (Loomis, 1987), the 21-item version of the NSS can make it less likely that potential participants will complete any questionnaire. Accordingly, we report herein the development of a short, field-useful version of the NSS that is psychometrically reliable, valid, and representative of the original. This was accomplished across five studies. Study 1 Using exploratory factor analysis on three separate samples (college students, adults), the first study was designed to isolate five to seven items that best represented the construct of noise sensitivity. Those items would serve as the NSS short form (NSS-SF) used for later studies on reliability, validity, and confirmatory factor structure. Method Participants. Three separate samples of participants were recruited through either laboratory research projects (two student samples; n = 390 and 308) or an online survey community (adult sample; n = 202). Demographics for each sample are given in Table 1. Materials and Measures. Participants were given the Weinstein (1978) NSS that consists of 21 items measured along a 6-point scale ranging from “disagree strongly” to “agree strongly.” This measure has been shown to have strong internal consistency (α = .86) and to be psychometrically robust (Ekehammar & Dornic, 1990; Weinstein, 1978; Zimmer & Ellermeier, 1999). In addition, participants in Sample 3 (adults) completed the Big Five Inventory–54 item (BFI-54; John & Srivastava, 1999) during the survey. The BFI-54 requires participants to rate agreement with personally descriptive items using a 5-point scale and provides subscale scores for extraversion (9 items; α = .84), agreeableness (9 items; α = .82), conscientiousness (9 items; α = .85), emotional stability (9 items; α = .89), and openness (18 items; α = .88). This measure was included based on previous literature showing a relationship between noise sensitivity, and the extraversion and neuroticism factors of the Big Five (Dornic & Ekehammar, 1990). Procedure. Participants completed the questionnaire(s) as either part of a larger laboratory research study involving noise (student samples) or as part of an online survey created exclusively for this project (adult sample). All three samples also completed a brief demographic questionnaire.
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