title: Interventions to reduce high-volume portable headsets: "turn down the sound"!
abstract: Two studies examined effects of interventions to reduce noise levels from portable stereo headphones. Study 1 examined the effectiveness of warning signs posted in and nearby public elevators with 567 passengers possessing a portable headphone (total N = 7,811). During a 9-day baseline, the mean percentage of headphones played at an observer-audible level was 85%. During a subsequent 6-day warning sign phase, the mean percentage of audible headphones declined to 59%, which increased to a mean of 76% during a second baseline phase (5 days). Study 2 assessed the impact of a student confederate who lowered his or her observer-audible headphone volume at the polite request of a second student confederate. Of the 4,069 elevator passengers, 433 possessed a portable headset. The mean percentage of observer-audible headphones during a 4-day baseline was 85%. Subsequently, a 5-day modeling intervention reduced audible volumes to a mean of 46%. During a second baseline phase of 4 days, the mean level was 77%, and during reintroduction of the modeling phase (9 days) the mean level was 42%. The modeling intervention was significantly more effective with women (53% compliance) than men (29% compliance).
authors.affiliation: Center for Life Studies, Cazenovia College, New York 13035.
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Ferrari
authors.forename: L M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Chan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001309:Auditory Threshold; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006317:Hearing Loss, Noise-Induced / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D008144:Loudness Perception; D008297:Male; D009519:New York City; D011845:Radio / Q000295:instrumentation*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012931:Social Environment