Relationship Between Tasked Vocal Effort Levels and Measures of Vocal Intensity

Abstract

Purpose Patients with voice problems commonly report increased vocal effort, regardless of the underlying pathophysiology. Previous studies investigating vocal effort and voice production have used a range of methods to quantify vocal effort. The goals of the current study were to use the Borg CR100 effort scale to (a) demonstrate the relation between vocal intensity or vocal level (dB) and tasked vocal effort goals and (b) investigate the repeated measure reliability of vocal level at tasked effort level goals. Method Three types of speech (automatic, read, and structured spontaneous) were elicited at four vocal effort level goals on the Borg CR100 scale (2, 13, 25, and 50) from 20 participants (10 females and 10 males). Results Participants' vocal level reliably changed approximately 5 dB between the elicited effort level goals; this difference was statistically significant and repeatable. Biological females produced a voice with consistently less intensity for a vocal effort level goal compared to biological males. Conclusions The results indicate the utility of the Borg CR100 in tracking effort in voice production that is repeatable with respect to vocal level (dB). Future research will investigate other metrics of voice production with the goal of understanding the mechanisms underlying vocal effort and the external environmental influences on the perception of vocal effort.

Adult Normative Data for the OMNI‐Vocal Effort Scale (VES)

“…17 Originally designed for stimuli with well-defined and concrete characteristics such as loudness, DME in communication sciences was initially applied to speech intelligibility, 18 prior to its use in voice research to determine perceived phonatory effort. Argued to be a comprehensive representation of a deficit, DME scales require significant training to use accurately, 19 thus reducing their clinical usefulness. Relative Fundamental Frequency (RFF) has also been proposed in the literature.…”

Systematic Review of Literature on Vocal Demand Response: Understanding Physiology, Measurements, and Associated Factors

“…For example, in a thoughtful and comprehensive recommendation for instrumental assessment of voice [3], there is no mention of patient-external vocal demands such as the requirement to vocalize in a loud room or for long periods of time [4, 5] nor for quantifying internal patient factors such as pulmonary function or psychology [6, 7]. Also, reports have shown that patients with voice problems generally mention increased vocal effort, regardless of the underlying pathophysiology [8].…”