Toward standardizing perceptual voice quality measures

描述(由申请人提供)：对病理性嗓音质量的感知在临床嗓音评估中至关重要，但对人的嗓音进行充分量化仍然是个问题。前一次筹资期间完成的研究数据表明，与目前的语音质量测量相关的许多困难源于定义和测量质量的方式。我们建议开发一个总体语音质量的心理声学模型，作为传统评级和声学分析协议的替代方案。这个心理声学模型将指定一组感知上重要的声学参数，这些参数组合在一起以复制并因此量化语音的整体、整体质量。我们将首先确定产生任何声音的合成副本所需的最小声学参数集，以便听众判断合成副本与原始语音的质量相匹配。该集合将构成声音质量的初步心理声学模型。然后，我们将通过仅使用这些模型参数合成自然声音的副本来改进和验证这个心理声学模型。只要听者判断自然符号和合成符号完全匹配，心理声学模型就会被认为是有效的。将分析不匹配，以确定应向模型添加或从模型中减去哪些参数。我们将评估声学价值的变化和声音偏离正常程度的变化之间的关系。这将提供一个说明性模型，指定声学参数如何组合和感知地相互作用，以确定任何声音样本在从“更好”到“更差”的连续统中的位置。最后，我们将研究重要的声学和频谱变化与声门结构的相关变化之间的联系。这些知识可以确定治疗的目标，这些目标在治疗期间产生声音改善的可能性最高。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Perception of pathological voice quality is centrally important in clinical voice evaluation, but adequately quantifying the sound of a person's voice remains problematic. Data from studies completed during the previous funding period indicate that many difficulties associated with current measures of voice quality derive from the way in which quality is defined and measured. We propose the development of a psychoacoustic model of overall voice quality as an alternative to traditional ratings and acoustic analysis protocols. This psychoacoustic model will specify a set of perceptually-important acoustic parameters that combine to replicate and thereby quantify the overall, integral quality of a voice. We will first determine the minimal set of acoustic parameters required to produce a synthetic copy of any voice, such that listeners judge that the synthetic copy matches the quality of the original voice. This set will constitute a preliminary psychoacoustic model of voice quality. We will then refine and validate this psychoacoustic model by synthesizing copies of natural voices using only these model parameters. To the extent that listeners judge that the natural and synthetic tokens match exactly, the psychoacoustic model will be considered valid. Mismatches will be analyzed to determine what parameters should be added to or subtracted from the model. We will assess the relationship between changes in acoustic values and changes in the extent to which a voice deviates from normal. This will provide an explanatory model specifying how acoustic parameters combine and interact perceptually to determine the location of any voice sample along a continuum from "better" to "worse." Finally, we will investigate the link between perceptually-important acoustic, spectral changes and the associated alterations in glottal configuration. Such knowledge could identify targets for remediation that have the highest likelihood of producing vocal improvement during treatment.