Noise and cognitive performance: mapping the research landscape

Noise and cognitive performance (N&CP) have emerged as a dynamic research area over the past decade, reflecting growing concern over the impact of noise on human cognitive functioning. This article provides a comprehensive bibliometric review of scholarly research on N&CP to explore the current status of research on human cognitive capabilities and limitations in conjunction with noise. Using the ISI Web of Science database, we identified 1693 records (2012 – May 2024), screened 306 articles after initial filters, and included 180 publications for bibliometric analysis. Among these, 35 articles were selected for in-depth content analysis. HistCite and VOSviewer software were used for citation analysis and visualisation. Although the domain is multifaceted, results demonstrated that most research emphasised narrow thematic areas. There was an uneven distribution of international partnerships, with limited collaboration between high-income nations and low- to middle-income countries. Based on citation mapping, the study performed a detailed content analysis of the 35 most cited documents to identify key research streams, including industrial and environmental noise exposure, noise characteristics, open-plan office acoustic challenges, noise masking and cancel­lation strategies, and individual differences in susceptibility. Overall, the area of noise and cognition provides substantial opportunities to synthesise and identify various emerging applications.