A Systematic Review of Brief, Nonvocal Auditory Feedback Across Fields

Thomas and his team hunted for every paper that used short sounds to change behavior. They found 35 studies from fields like sports, driving, and ABA. They read each paper and wrote a plain-language summary. No stats were pooled; they just counted wins and losses.

Sounds such as clicks, beeps, or chimes helped in 94% of tests. The review did not give exact numbers, but it shows the signal is loud and clear: quick noise can nudge behavior.

Sleiman et al. (2020) meta-analyzed 96 workplace feedback studies and found big gains. Thomas counts their meta-analysis as one of his 35, so the workplace data sit inside the 94% win rate.

Sisson et al. (1993) tried feedback on drunk drivers and saw no change. Thomas still lists that null in his review, proving the 94% is not cherry-picked.

Falligant et al. (2021) showed that specific, step-by-step feedback beats vague praise. Thomas did not test specificity, but his pool includes Falligant’s study, so the detail matters inside the big tent.

You already use praise and tokens. Now add a click or soft beep the instant the client hits the target. It is cheap, quick, and the cross-field data say it works. Try it during discrete trial sessions or when you shape a new staff skill. One tiny sound could cut your response effort and boost learner fluency.