Human Dimension of the Soundscape: From Individuals to Society - Soundscape Ecology: Principles, Patterns, Methods and Applications - page 128

Table 5.5 Presentation of the six categories of sounds that are combined with six categories of
images proposed for a questionnaire
Sounds Images Combinations

V-Village v-village Vv Vw Vc Ve Vr

S-Stream s-stream Ww Wc Ws We Wr Wv

B-Busy park b-busy park Bc Bs Be Br Bv Bw

T-Thunderstorm t-thunderstorm Ts Te Tr Tv Tw Tc

Q-Quiet park q-quiet park Qe Qr Qv Qw Qc Qs

R-Residential neighborhood r-residential neighborhood Rr Rv Rw Rc Rs Re

Source: Reproduced with permission from Carles et al. ( 1999 )

In particular, Carles et al. ( 1999 ) investigated the relationships between visual
and acoustic stimuli for landscape perception. In Table 5.5 is summarized the
sequence of 36 sound-image combinations proposed in a questionnaire in which
75 interviewers (43 women, 32 men) were requested to rate, from 1 ¼ very

unpleasant to 5 very pleasant, the sound stimuli presented first separately, then

in combination with visual stimuli. The main result of this investigation can be
summarized as follows.
Natural sounds are considered positive and contribute to the appreciation of
natural and artificial settings. Some natural sounds such as water contribute to
improving the appreciation of natural and manmade spaces. It is well known that
water and bird songs are sounds that produce relaxation in humans more than do
human sounds, as has been proved physiologically by measuring heart rate, skin
conductance, and electromyographic responses. The sound of the human voice
increases the relationship with natural sound but the combination of the human
voice and technological sounds is widely rejected. This is not the case of the human
voice in a quiet park, where a human voice is considered a disturbance.
Experiments regarding a combination of sounds and images in the assessment of
the quality of a courtyard were conducted by Gidlof-Gunnarsson et al. ( 2007 )ina
laboratory on 24 subjects to whom were shown photographs combined with audi-
tory stimuli (road traffic and bird song) at different levels of L Aeq . The images of the
courtyard were manipulated to create attractive and unattractive images. Road
traffic noise affected soundscape quality and the noise annoyance. With the increase
of traffic noise, the rating was rapidly degraded toward annoyance, but this trend
was reduced by the presence of bird song. The visual effect of a nice courtyard
reduced the annoyance effect but when the road traffic noise was raised to 55 dB
this effect was less evident and was judged more stressful in the attractive courtyard
than in the unattractive courtyard setting. It seems reasonable to admit that for an
attractive courtyard a peaceful sonic ambience is expected, meaning that the more
attractive a courtyard is, the more sonic expectations are required, and that the
increase of road traffic noise can degrade the attractive courtyard more than the
unattractive ones. Low road traffic noise in combination with bird song increases
the rating of attractiveness of the experimental courtyard.
An attempt to measure tranquility has been proposed by Pheasant et al. ( 2008 )
for 11 English rural and urban landscapes. Visual and acoustic data were supplied to

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