Artikel
Development of F0- and timbre-usage in the perception of voice gender and age during rehabilitation after CI implantation
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Autoren
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Verena Gabriele Skuk
- Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, Allgemeine Psychologie und kognitive Neurowissenschaften, Jena, Germany
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Luca Beinhoff
- Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, Allgemeine Psychologie und kognitive Neurowissenschaften, Jena, Germany
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Stefan R. Schweinberger
- Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, Allgemeine Psychologie und kognitive Neurowissenschaften, Jena, Germany
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Orlando Guntinas-Lichius
- Universitätsklinikum Jena, Institut für Phoniatrie und Pädaudiologie, Hals-, Nasen-, Ohrenheilkunde, Jena, Germany
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Christian Dobel
- Universitätsklinikum Jena, Experimentelle HNO-Heilkunde, Jena, Germany
| Veröffentlicht: | 5. März 2024 |
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Gliederung
Text
Question: How does the perception of voice gender and vocal age, speech perception, and quality of life (QoL) develop over time for cochlear implant (CI) users?
Methods: The two experiments from Skuk et al. [1] – using a parameter-specific voice morphing approach – were used to evaluate CI users’ ability to use fundamental frequency (F0) and timbre for voice gender classification (Exp. 1) and f0, timbre, and time information for vocal age classification (Exp. 2). 18 CI users were tested on five occasions, starting shortly after implant activation and ending approximately after 15.4 months on average. Performance was quantified based on deviation from the mean performance of 15 gender-and-age-matched control participants. Additionally, the Freiburger Monosyllabic Test [2] and the Nijmegen CI Questionnaire (NCIQ, [3]) were used to measure speech perception and QoL, respectively, at each session. Hierarchical linear mixed modeling was used for data analysis.
Results: During rehabilitation, CI users exhibited a curvilinear enhancement in voice gender perception with fast initial benefits, albeit with considerable variability. This enhancement predominantly stemmed from an improving ability among CI users to use F0 cues for gender classification. By contrast, the improvement in age perception was more gradual and linear. Although gender and age perception abilities were correlated in CI users, they did not display any correlation with their speech perception or reported QoL in the NCIQ.
Conclusions: The study findings indicate a progressive enhancement in CI users’ perception of voice gender and vocal age over time. Notably, this improvement appears to be independent of their speech perception ability.
Figure 1 [Fig. 1]
References
- 1.
- Skuk VG, Kirchen L, Oberhoffner T, Guntinas-Lichius O, Dobel C, Schweinberger SR. Parameter-Specific Morphing Reveals Contributions of Timbre and Fundamental Frequency Cues to the Perception of Voice Gender and Age in Cochlear Implant Users. J Speech Lang Hear Res. 2020 Sep 15;63(9):3155-3175. DOI: 10.1044/2020_JSLHR-20-00026
- 2.
- Hahlbrock KH. Über Sprachaudiometrie und neue Wörterteste [Speech audiometry and new word-tests]. Arch Ohren Nasen Kehlkopfheilkd. 1953;162(5):394-431.
- 3.
- Hinderink JB, Krabbe PF, Van Den Broek P. Development and application of a health-related quality-of-life instrument for adults with cochlear implants: the Nijmegen cochlear implant questionnaire. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2000 Dec;123(6):756-65. DOI: 10.1067/mhn.2000.108203
