Purpose High-frequency speech energy (above approximately 4–5 kHz) is garnering substantial research attention. This review surveys recent evidence surrounding the presence and use of perceptual information in the high-frequency region. Additionally, clinical and research applications relevant to speech, language, and hearing professionals are discussed. Method Five databases were used during the search (Medline, CINAHL, WorldCat, ERIC, and Google Scholar). Criteria for study inclusion included (a) peer review, (b) utilization of high-frequency energy (above approximately 4 kHz) during the experimental tasks, and (c) were published from 2014 to present. Fifty-seven articles were included for review, and after further inspection, 13 met the inclusion criteria and were retained. Results Thirteen peer-reviewed studies provided evidence to support the supposition that important and useable acoustic cues exist in the high-frequency portion of the speech spectrum. Conclusions Considering the evidence discussed in this document, it is apparent that the high-frequency region contains additional perceptual cues than currently assumed. Specifically, acoustic cues regarding segmental information (vowel and consonant identification), individual speaker identity, and speaker sex are available for use by human listeners and automated machine recognition systems. Additionally, the high-frequency speech region may reduce listening effort and improve speech recognition in noisy listening conditions, particularly when the speech and noise are spatially separated. Therefore, clinicians and researchers should be aware of this information, which can inform clinical practice when fitting amplification devices for various clinical populations and experimental research for speech and hearing scientists.
Two experiments were designed to determine the effects of high-and low-pass filtering on individual speaker identification in quiet and noise. Forty-four listeners ages 18i–35 years of age with normal hearing participated in the two experiments. Each experiment included listening to sentences under various filtered conditions and identifying the speaker. High-and low-pass filter cutoffs included 750, 1500, 2500, and 3500 Hz. Quiet: A significant main effect was found for speaker gender (F(1, 21) = 6.86, p < 0.05, ηp2 = 0.25), filter cutoff (F(3, 63) = 4.06, p < 0.05, ηp2 = 0.16), but not filter type (F(1, 21) = 4.00, p =0.058, ηp2 = 0.16), which approached statistical significance. Noise: A significant main effect was found for speaker gender (F(1, 21) = 19.24, p < 0.01, ηp2 = 0.48), filter type (F(1, 21) = 30.70, p < 0.01, ηp2 = 0.59, and filter cutoff (F(3, 63) = 6.82, p < 0.01, ηp2 = 0.25). These results suggest that even at the highest high-pass filter cutoffs (i.e., 2500 and 3500 Hz), listeners were capable of extracting information regarding speaker identity and that reducing access to higher-frequency information had a deleterious effect on identifying the speaker in quiet and noise.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.