SPP

To observe and describe which kinds of sound occur in different public places (including teaching venues, music venues, cinemas, theatres, pubs/cafes/restaurants, transportation, shopping venues, sport venues), which average and peak levels the sounds create, how people exposed to such soundscapes respond, and what the impacts on socio-psychological processes such as interaction and communication are.

This research is an exploratory project and has currently no formal funding. It is intended to continue it, including its cross-cultural extensions in Europe.

Info - Project SPP

Conducted so far: Honours project by Corrinna Burrows (1999); replication of sound measurements by Sonja Pedell (June 2000); further measurements by Manuel Voelkle (April 2001), Bernd Rohrmann (June 2002, May 2006), Sereina Oggier (August 2006).
Intended: Additional data collection in a wider set of venues, including outdoor eating places and pubs.
For a publication on "Soundscapes in restaurants" click here.

Conducted so far: Observations of sound levels during 24 hours (Sonja Pedell, 2001).
Underway: Documentation of sound levels cited in pertinent literature (BR).

Planned or underway: Exploratory observations in real-life situations by Sereina Oggier & Bernd Rohrmann (2006). Survey with a sample of visitors in three types of venues (pubs, cafes, gyms) by Anne Makin & Lilian Jansen (Feb-July 2005). Then development of a pertinent standardized questionnaire (Bernd Rohrmann, 2007).
A research report by Rohrmann, "Soundscapes- types and impacts of music imparted in public places" (2006), is available - click this.

"Impacts of music exposure in public venues and the influence of cultural factors" <IMC>

Conducted so far: Survey by Margaret Blanch (2007) with customers in restaurants and gyms (Australians and foreigners); supervised & re-analyzed by Bernd Rohrmann.

"Sound levels and social interactions in eateries with music: Staff attitudes" <SSM>

Conducted so far: Exploratory interviews with managers and staff memember of pubs and bistros, by Karmen Jobling and Bernd Rohrmann (April-July 2008).
Intended: Similar survey in a wider range of venue types.

= CROSS-CULTURAL EXPANSION =

In order to enhance the validity of Project SPP, it was decided to run 'parallel' studies in Europe, in collaboration with colleagues at Leiden Univ., Netherlands; Hamburg Univ. and Bochum Univ., Germany; Zuerich Univ., Switzerland; Innsbruck Univ., Austria).

The first three of these were "Sound levels and social interactions in venues with music: Cross-cultural comparison" <SIH> , "Music levels in Hamburg University eateries" <MLH>, and "Social interactions in eateries with music: Staff attitudes" <SSH>, conducted in Hamburg (Oct 2007 to Dec 2008), mainly by David Fischer and Nils Grube.
A survey in various venue types in Innsbruck "Soundscapes and interactions in venues with music: Innsbruck" <SII> was run in collaboration with Prof P. Lercher and mostly conducted by Stephan Pidner.
Currently sound level measurements are collected in the sub-study "Music levels in Bochum University eateries" <MLB>, designed in collaboration with Prof R. Guski.
Furthermore, a collaboration with researchers at the Chinese University of HongKong is under consideration.

= APPRAISAL OF PROJECT OUTCOMES =

The findings gained so far, after conducting 13 sub-studies, are multifold and inviting for a critical discussion, because they do not provide straightforward answers to a complex question, namely, whether loud music soundscapes do induce significant impacts on socio-psychological processes such as communication. Therefore it was decided to focus a "Multidisciplinary Melbourne Risk Research Roundtable" (2M3R) on potential risks from music soundscapes - click 2M3R for details. This expert workshop was realized in April 2009. See OutlookProjectSPP for the overall conclusion -- to terminate this project, in spite of its social significance.