Relationships between vocal quality estimates and selected acoustic/physiological variables in normally hearing and hearing-impaired persons
Dale Evan Metz, Robert L. Whitehead, Thomas E. Baer, Nancy S. McGarr · The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America · 1985
The relationship between direct magnitude estimates (DME) of voice quality and ten acoustic and physiologic parameters associated with sustained vowel productions of two normally hearing and four hearing-impaired persons were explored by collecting simultaneous high quality audio and high-speed laryngeal film data. Analysis of the data provided the following variables associated with each subject's vowel productions: (1) harmonic-to-noise ratio (H/N), (2) frequency perturbation quotient (FPQ), (3) amplitude perturbation quotient (APQ), (4) pitch period (T), (5) open quotient (OQ), (6) speed quotient (SQ), (7) mean vocal-fold velocity during glottal closing, (8) mean vocal-fold velocity during glottal opening, (9) mean maximum glottal area during the open phase, and (10) mean glottal area during the closed phase. DMEs of each subject's voice quality were obtained from an experienced judge. Multiple regression analysis revealed that only the FPQ variable significantly predicted the DMEs of voice quality [R = 0.82; R2 = 0.67; F(1,4) = 7.99; p = 0.04]. Correlational analysis revealed that FPQ demonstrated a strong inverse relationship to SQ (r = −0.90) and OQ (r = −0.89). These and other relationships will be discussed in detail. [Work supported by US Department of Education and NINCDS.]