Article,
Scraping sounds and disgusting noises
Applied Acoustics, (2008)
Abstract
Thirty-four horrible sounds have been examined in an Internet-based
psychoacoustic experiment. This paper presents the results for the
scraping and disgusting noises used. It is not understood why some
humans find certain scraping noises, such as the sound of fingernails
being scraped down a blackboard, so terrible. In this experiment,
the variations in ratings with age, gender and location are examined.
The results for one of the scraping sounds is consistent with the
hypothesis suggested by others, that the response comes from a vestigial
reflex related to the warning cries of monkeys. But this was not
true for the actual recording of the fingernails scraping down a
blackboard. An alternative hypothesis that the response is related
to an audio–haptic interaction was tested and results indicated that
this idea warrants further investigation. Other possible causes of
the response, drawing on work concerning dissonance, are tentatively
suggested. The disgusting sounds examined included the worst sound
found in the experiment, the sound of someone vomiting. However,
none of the disgusting sounds tested promoted responses consistent
with a ‘disgust reaction’ based purely on survival instincts. Cultural
factors might be important in our response to the disgusting sounds,
with the influence of manners and etiquette being suggested as a
possible factor.
