Effects of added absorption on the vocal exertions of talkers in a reverberant room

Michael K. Rollins; Timothy W. Leishman; Jennifer K. Whiting; Eric J. Hunter; Dennis L. Eggett

doi:10.1121/1.5089891

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Effects of added absorption on the vocal exertions of talkers in a reverberant room

Journal article

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Effects of added absorption on the vocal exertions of talkers in a reverberant room

Michael K. Rollins, Timothy W. Leishman, Jennifer K. Whiting, Eric J. Hunter and Dennis L. Eggett

The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, Vol.145(2), pp.775-783

02/01/2019

DOI: 10.1121/1.5089891

PMCID: PMC6372363

PMID: 30823814

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Abstract

Occupational speech users such as schoolteachers develop voice disorders at higher rates than the general population. Previous research has suggested that room acoustics may influence these trends. The research reported in this paper utilized varying acoustical conditions in a reverberant room to assess the effects on vocal parameters of healthy talkers. Thirty-two participants were recorded while completing a battery of speech tasks under eight room conditions. Vocal parameters were derived from the recordings and the statistically significant effects of room acoustics were verified using mixed-model analysis of variance tests. Changes in reverberation time (T-20), early decay time (EDT), clarity index (C-50), speech transmission index (STI), and room gain (G(RG)) all showed highly correlated effects on certain vocal parameters, including speaking level standard deviation, speaking rate, and the acoustic vocal quality index. As T-20, EDT, and G(RG) increased, and as C-50 and STI decreased, vocal parameters showed tendencies toward dysphonic phonation. Empirically derived equations are proposed that describe the relationships between select room-acoustic parameters and vocal parameters. This study provides an increased understanding of the impact of room acoustics on voice production, which could assist acousticians in improving room designs to help mitigate unhealthy vocal exertion and, by extension, voice problems. (C) 2019 Acoustical Society of America.

Acoustics

Audiology & Speech-Language Pathology

Life Sciences & Biomedicine

Science & Technology

Technology

Details

Title: Subtitle: Effects of added absorption on the vocal exertions of talkers in a reverberant room
Creators: Michael K. Rollins - Brigham Young University
Timothy W. Leishman - Brigham Young University
Jennifer K. Whiting - Brigham Young University
Eric J. Hunter - Michigan State University
Dennis L. Eggett - Brigham Young University
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, Vol.145(2), pp.775-783
DOI: 10.1121/1.5089891
PMID: 30823814
PMCID: PMC6372363
NLM abbreviation: J Acoust Soc Am
ISSN: 0001-4966
eISSN: 1520-8524
Publisher: Acoustical Soc Amer Amer Inst Physics
Number of pages: 9
Grant note: R01DC012315 / NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DEAFNESS AND OTHER COMMUNICATION DISORDERS; United States Department of Health & Human Services; National Institutes of Health (NIH) - USA; NIH National Institute on Deafness & Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) R01DC012315 / NIH; United States Department of Health & Human Services; National Institutes of Health (NIH) - USA
Language: English
Date published: 02/01/2019
Academic Unit: Communication Sciences and Disorders
Record Identifier: 9984446521302771

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