When softer sounds are more distracting: Task-irrelevant whispered speech causes disruption of serial recall.

Two competing accounts propose that the disruption of short-term memory by irrelevant speech arises either due to interference-by-process (e.g., changing-state effect) or attentional capture, but it is unclear how whispering affects the irrelevant speech effect.

Assessments of Acoustic Environments by Emotions - The Application of Emotion Theory in Soundscape.

Human beings respond to their immediate environments in a variety of ways, with emotion playing a cardinal role. In evolutionary theories, emotions are thought to prepare an organism for action. The interplay of acoustic environments, emotions, and evolutionary needs are currently subject to discussion in soundscape research.