Office of Aerospace Medicine Technical Reports
FAA Office of Aerospace Medicine
Civil Aerospace Medical Institute
Report No: DOT/FAA/AM-73/16
Title and Subtitle: A comparison of the startle effects resulting from exposure to two levels of simulated sonic booms
Report Date: December 1973
Authors: Thackray RI, Touchstone RM, Bailey JP
Abstract: Subjects were exposed indoors to simulated sonic booms having outside overpressures of 50 and 150 N/sq m. Rise times were held constant at 5.5 msecs. In addition to the outside measurements, inside measures of dBlin and dBA were also obtained. Subjects attempted to hold a hand-steadiness device on target during boom exposure and amplitude of the arm-hand startle response was determined. Recordings were also obtained of the skin conductance and heart-rate responses as well as the eye-blink reflex.
Although the 50 N/sq m boom produced slight arm-hand startle responses in a small percentage of subjects, the frequency of these responses was significantly greater to the higher boom level. Tentative conclusions advanced that sonic booms experienced indoors may cause slight arm-hand startle responses which could have adverse effects on occupational tasks in which arm-hand steadiness is the principal skill required, but that it seems unlikely these responses would significantly impair performance on less sensitive psychomotor tasks.
Key Words: Attention, Eye-Blink Reflex, Heart Rate, Noise, Orienting Reflex, Performance, Skin Conductance, Sonic Booms, Startle
No. of Pages: 11
Civil Aerospace Medical Institute
Report No: DOT/FAA/AM-73/16
Title and Subtitle: A comparison of the startle effects resulting from exposure to two levels of simulated sonic booms
Report Date: December 1973
Authors: Thackray RI, Touchstone RM, Bailey JP
Abstract: Subjects were exposed indoors to simulated sonic booms having outside overpressures of 50 and 150 N/sq m. Rise times were held constant at 5.5 msecs. In addition to the outside measurements, inside measures of dBlin and dBA were also obtained. Subjects attempted to hold a hand-steadiness device on target during boom exposure and amplitude of the arm-hand startle response was determined. Recordings were also obtained of the skin conductance and heart-rate responses as well as the eye-blink reflex.
Although the 50 N/sq m boom produced slight arm-hand startle responses in a small percentage of subjects, the frequency of these responses was significantly greater to the higher boom level. Tentative conclusions advanced that sonic booms experienced indoors may cause slight arm-hand startle responses which could have adverse effects on occupational tasks in which arm-hand steadiness is the principal skill required, but that it seems unlikely these responses would significantly impair performance on less sensitive psychomotor tasks.
Key Words: Attention, Eye-Blink Reflex, Heart Rate, Noise, Orienting Reflex, Performance, Skin Conductance, Sonic Booms, Startle
No. of Pages: 11
Last updated: Friday, June 1, 2012