Here are a few excerpts:
"And noise, even in "normal" classrooms, can interfere with
concentration skills, [Emory University audiologist Debra Brewer] says. 'It
doesn't have to be kids hollering. It's putting books up, whispering, moving
papers, feet. It's not necessarily the decibel level, but the level in
relation to what they are listening to.'"
"Research also shows the that: the unpredictability of noise causes
anger, agression, poor performance, and insomnia."
Anind.
anind@cc.gatech.edu