Evaluating the Effect of Voice Quality Covariance on Auditory-Perceptual Evaluation Using a Novel Two-Dimensional Magnitude Estimation Task

Abstract

Purpose: Most people with dysphonia present with voices that vary along more than one voice quality (VQ) dimension. This study sought to examine the effect of covariance between breathy and rough VQ in natural voices. Method: A two-dimensional matrix of 16 /a/ vowels was selected such that two VQ dimensions (breathiness and roughness) were sampled on a 4-point severity scale (none, mild, moderate, and severe). Ten listeners evaluated 480 stimuli (16 stimuli × 10 repetitions × 3 blocks) on one-dimensional magnitude estimation (1DME) tasks and a novel two-dimensional magnitude estimation (2DME) task that allowed for simultaneous measurement of breathiness and roughness. Results: Data indicated high intra- and interrater reliabilities for both breathiness and roughness in the 2DME and 1DME tasks. Correlation analyses revealed a strong correlation between 2DME and 1DME judgments for breathiness and roughness ( r > .95). There was also a minimal correlation between breathy and rough VQ in the 2DME task ( r < .10). Conclusions: Covarying roughness or breathiness had less impact on the perception of the other VQ in natural dysphonic voices in 2DME compared to 1DME. An understanding and quantification of the perceptual interactions among the dimensions will aid in the refinement of computational models and in the establishment of the validity of clinical scales for VQ perception.