A substantial amount of studies have addressed the influence of sound on human performance. In many
of these, however, the large acoustic differences between experimental conditions prevent a direct
translation of the results to realistic effects of room acoustic interventions. This review identifies those
studies which can be, in principle, translated to (changes in) room acoustic parameters and adds to the
knowledge about the influence of the indoor sound environment on people. The review procedure is
based on the effect room acoustics can have on the relevant quantifiers of the sound environment in a
room or space. 272 papers containing empirical findings on the influence of sound or noise on some
measure of human performance were found. Of these, only 12 papers complied with this review's
criteria. A conceptual framework is suggested based on the analysis of results, positioning the role of
room acoustics in the influence of sound on task performance. Furthermore, valuable insights are pre-
sented that can be used in future studies on this topic. Whi le the influence of the sound environment on
performance is clearly an issue in many situations, evidence regarding the effectiveness of strategies to
control the sound environment by room acoustic design is lacking and should be a focus area in future
studies.
