title: [The effect of anchor voices and visible speech in training in the GRABS scale of perceptual evaluation of dysphonia].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Perceptual evaluation of voice quality remains a key standard for judgment of vocal impairment. The GRABS method has become a commonly-used scale for rating severity of dysphonia, but it has no published, standardised protocol to follow. Training is important for reaching good interrater agreement for its parameters; however, the references most often cited for the GRABS provide no guidelines for clinical administration, speech material or rating calibration. This study investigated the effect of anchors (standard reference voices) and visible speech (narrow band spectrogram) in training non-expert professionals in the GRABS method.
  
  
  METHODS
  Four inexperienced listeners evaluated 107 recorded pathological voices using the GRABS scale in 2 separate sessions; at first, without a visible spectrogram and then, 6 months later, with anchors and a narrow band spectrogram as additional information.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results show that anchors and visible speech helped to improve the reliability of G, B, A and S parameters. Interrater agreement according to k statistics was significantly stronger with the addition of spectrographic information for rating breathiness and strain.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study found that non-expert listeners showed significant improvement after training with external anchors (standard reference voices) and a narrow band spectrogram.
authors.affiliation: Servicio de ORL, Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias, Oviedo, España. fnunezb@telefonica.net
authors.forename: Faustino
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Núñez-Batalla
authors.forename: Juan Pablo
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Díaz-Molina
authors.forename: Isabel
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: García-López
authors.forename: Adriana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Moreno-Méndez
authors.forename: María
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Costales-Marcos
authors.forename: Carla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Moreno-Galindo
authors.forename: Pablo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Martínez-Camblor
mesh_terms: D001307:Auditory Perception; D055154:Dysphonia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007819:Laryngeal Edema / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology; D059032:Learning Curve; D008297:Male; D015588:Observer Variation; D046709:Pattern Recognition, Physiological; D011571:Psychoacoustics; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013018:Sound Spectrography; D049489:Stroboscopy; D014827:Vocal Cords / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014831:Voice; D014833:Voice Quality