Effects of Adventitious Acute Vocal Trauma: Relative Fundamental Frequency and Listener Perception

Abstract

Objective High voice users (individuals who demonstrate excessive or loud vocal use) are at risk for developing voice disorders. The objective of this study was to examine, both acoustically and perceptually, vocal changes in healthy speakers following an acute period of high voice use. Methods Members of a university women’s volleyball team (N=12) were recorded a week prior (Pre) and week following (Post) the 10-week spring season; N=6 control speakers were recorded over the same time period for comparison. Speakers read four sentences, which were analyzed for relative fundamental frequency (RFF). Eight naïve listeners participated in an auditory-perceptual visual sort and rate (VSR) task, in which they rated each voice sample’s overall severity and strain. Results No significant differences were found as a function of time point in the VSR ratings for the volleyball group. Onset cycle 1 RFF values were significantly lower (p = 0.04) in the Post recordings of the volleyball participants compared to Pre recordings, but there was no significant difference (p = 0.20) in offset cycle 10 RFF values. Receiver operating characteristic analyses indicated moderate sensitivity and specificity of onset cycle 1 RFF for discrimination between the volleyball and control participants. Changes were not apparent in the control group as a function of time for either, onset cycle 1 RFF, offset cycle 10 FF, or either vocal attribute. Conclusion Onset cycle 1 RFF may be an effective marker for detecting vocal changes over an acute high voice use period of time before perceptual changes are noted.

The relationship between acoustical and perceptual measures of vocal effort

“…The VSR method has higher intra-and inter-rater reliability when compared to listener-perceptual ratings using the VAS technique (Granqvist, 2003). In the present study, the number of voice samples chosen within a stimuli set, as well as the number of total sets for auditory-perceptual ratings, were comparable to previous studies using the VSR method to rate vocal effort (Heller Murray et al, 2016;Lien et al, 2015).…”

Vocal Change Patterns During a Teaching Day: Inter- and Intra-subject Variability

“…Second, a few studies have explored vocal load under realistic field conditions. 3,5,6,22,23 In these studies, speakers' responses to loading were examined in real-life situations, usually with individuals who had high vocal demands or were at risk of voice disorders. Given their extensive voice use, professional voice users, and especially teachers, have frequently been studied.…”

Análise acústica da voz: comparação entre dois tipos de microfones

“…Commonly, the Karsect HT-9 microphone is used among Brazilian professionals because it also provides the interface Andrea PureAudio™ USB-SA (Andrea Electronics) (15)(16)(17)(18) . International studies commonly use the Shure SM58 microphone (19)(20)(21)(22) coupled with high-quality recording interfaces. It is important to obtain scientific evidence to support the use of different types of microphones in the Brazilian clinic routine.…”