Effects of stimulus amplitude-scaling approach on emotional responses to non-speech sounds.

In the study of auditory emotion perception, it is important to calibrate test sounds so their presentation level during testing is known. It is also often desirable to standardize the amplitude of the sounds so that each sound used in testing is approximately the same level. However, existing literature in the study of auditory emotion perception includes a mixture of techniques for standardizing amplitude across sounds.

Relationship Between Auditory Distraction and Emotional Dimensionality for Non-Speech Sounds.

Objectives: If task-irrelevant sounds are present when someone is actively listening to speech, the irrelevant sounds can cause distraction, reducing word recognition performance and increasing listening effort. In some previous investigations into auditory distraction, the task-irrelevant stimuli were non-speech sounds (e.g.

Talker Differences in Perceived Emotion in Clear and Conversational Speech.

Purpose: Previous work has shown that judgments of emotion differ between clear and conversational speech, particularly for perceived anger. The current study examines talker differences in perceived emotion for a database of talkers producing clear and conversational speech.

Method: A database of 41 talkers was used to assess talker differences in six emotion categories ("Anger," "Fear," "Disgust," "Happiness," "Sadness," and "Neutral").

Using a novel in-mask non-invasive ventilator microphone to improve talker intelligibility in healthy and hospitalised adults.

Non-invasive ventilation (NIV) provides respiratory support without invasive endotracheal intubation but can hinder patients' ability to communicate effectively. The current study presents preliminary results using a novel in-mask ventilator microphone to enhance talker intelligibility while receiving NIV. A proof-of-concept study assessed sentence intelligibility of five healthy adult talkers using a prototype model of the microphone under continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP; 5/5 cm HO) and bilevel positive airway pressure (BiPAP; 8/4 cm HO) ventilator conditions.

Understanding the Use and Importance of Voice Stimulability Assessment Among Speech-Language Pathologists Who Treat Voice Disorders: An International Survey.

Purpose: Stimulability assessment is a common part of the voice evaluation, but little information exists about what is involved in the process, how it is measured, and how it impacts therapeutic decisions. The aim of this study was to establish the frequency, circumstances, techniques, and rationale for stimulability assessment among voice-specialized speech-language pathologists (SLPs).

Method: An anonymized online survey was distributed to voice-specialized SLPs through email lists, online communities, and professional networks.