Harsh voice: vocal effort perceptual ratings and spectral noise levels of hearing-impaired children.
This study investigated the relationship between spectral noise levels and ratings of perceived vocal effort in the voices of severely to profoundly hearing-impaired children as compared to normal-hearing children, aged 6-11. Spectral noise levels served as an index of the inharmonic (noise) components present from 100 to 2500 Hz for sustained vowels. A nine-point perceptual rating scale was devised as the subjective measure of vocal effort. The severely to profoundly hearing-impaired children could be differentiated on the basis of significantly higher ratings for perceived vocal effort in addition to higher physical measurements of spectral noise levels. Tentative therapeutic implications are discussed.
Thomas-Kersting
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Portland State University, OR.
Casteel
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RL
D002648:Child; D003638:Deafness / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006801:Humans; D007805:Language Development Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D013018:Sound Spectrography; D013061:Speech Acoustics; D013068:Speech Production Measurement; D014831:Voice; D014833:Voice Quality