Human voices escape the auditory attentional blink: Evidence from detections and pupil responses.

Attentional selection of a second target in a rapid stream of stimuli embedding two targets tends to be briefly impaired when two targets are presented in close temporal proximity, an effect known as an attentional blink (AB). Two target sounds (T1 and T2) were embedded in a rapid serial auditory presentation of environmental sounds with a short (Lag 3) or long lag (Lag 9). Participants were to first identify T1 (bell or sine tone) and then to detect T2 (present or absent). Individual stimuli had durations of either 30 or 90 ms, and were presented in streams of 20 sounds. The T2 varied in category: human voice, cello, or dog sound. Previous research has introduced pupillometry as a useful marker of the intensity of cognitive processing and attentional allocation in the visual AB paradigm. Results suggest that the interplay of stimulus factors is critical for target detection accuracy and provides support for the hypothesis that the human voice is the least likely to show an auditory AB (in the 90 ms condition). For the other stimuli, accuracy for T2 was significantly worse at Lag 3 than at Lag 9 in the 90 ms condition, suggesting the presence of an auditory AB. When AB occurred (at Lag 3), we observed smaller pupil dilations, time-locked to the onset of T2, compared to Lag 9, reflecting lower attentional processing when 'blinking' during target detection. Taken together, these findings support the conclusion that human voices escape the AB and that the pupillary changes are consistent with the so-called T2 attentional deficit. In addition, we found some indication that salient stimuli like human voices could require a less intense allocation of attention, or noradrenergic potentiation, compared to other auditory stimuli.

High-fidelity continuum modeling predicts avian voiced sound production.

Voiced sound production is the primary form of acoustic communication in terrestrial vertebrates, particularly birds and mammals, including humans. Developing a causal physics-based model that ultimately links descending vocal motor control to tissue vibration and sound requires embodied approaches that include realistic representations of voice physiology. Here, we first implement and then experimentally test a high-fidelity three-dimensional (3D) continuum model for voiced sound production in birds. Driven by individual-based physiologically quantifiable inputs, combined with noninvasive inverse methods for tissue material parameterization, our model accurately predicts observed key vibratory and acoustic performance traits. These results demonstrate that realistic models lead to accurate predictions and support the continuum model approach as a critical tool toward a causal model of voiced sound production.

Vocal-Stress Diary: A Longitudinal Investigation of the Association of Everyday Work Stressors and Human Voice Features.

The human voice conveys plenty of information about the speaker. A prevalent assumption is that stress-related changes in the human body affect speech production, thus affecting voice features. This suggests that voice data may be an easy-to-capture measure of everyday stress levels and can thus serve as a warning signal of stress-related health consequences. However, previous research is limited (i.e., has induced stress only through artificial tasks or has investigated only short-term or extreme stressors), leaving it open whether everyday work stressors are associated with voice features. Thus, our participants (111 adult working individuals) took part in a 1-week diary study (Sunday until Sunday), in which they provided voice messages and self-report data on daily work stressors. Results showed that work stressors were associated with voice features such as increased speech rate and voice intensity. We discuss theoretical, practical, and ethical implications regarding the voice as an indicator of psychological states.

Immunize the HPV Vaccine Rumors: Effects of Inoculation Messages and Tone of Voice on Parental Intention to Vaccinate Their Children.

The purpose of this study was to develop an effective health communication strategy to guide the decision-making process of parents considering getting their children HPV vaccines. Using inoculation theory and findings on tone of voice as theoretical frameworks, the present study conducted a 2 (message type: inoculation vs. supportive) × 2 (tone of voice: human voice vs. organizational voice) mixed experiment with a total of 231 U.S. parents (either mother or father of a child eligible for the HPV vaccine). The results revealed that HPV vaccination promotions based on the inoculation message were more likely to generate positive attitudes toward the vaccination, higher intention to vaccinate their children, and higher intention to spread positive word of mouth (WOM) about HPV vaccination. Also, HPV vaccination promotions in the human voice were likely to increase the WOM intention more than those in the organizational voice. In regard to an interaction effect, human voice turned out to be more effective than organizational voice to generate the WOM intention when it comes to supportive messages; inoculation-based messages were similarly effective across the human and the organizational voice condition.

A longitudinal study of auditory evoked field and language development in young children.

The relationship between language development in early childhood and the maturation of brain functions related to the human voice remains unclear. Because the development of the auditory system likely correlates with language development in young children, we investigated the relationship between the auditory evoked field (AEF) and language development using non-invasive child-customized magnetoencephalography (MEG) in a longitudinal design. Twenty typically developing children were recruited (aged 36-75 months old at the first measurement). These children were re-investigated 11-25 months after the first measurement. The AEF component P1m was examined to investigate the developmental changes in each participant's neural brain response to vocal stimuli. In addition, we examined the relationships between brain responses and language performance. P1m peak amplitude in response to vocal stimuli significantly increased in both hemispheres in the second measurement compared to the first measurement. However, no differences were observed in P1m latency. Notably, our results reveal that children with greater increases in P1m amplitude in the left hemisphere performed better on linguistic tests. Thus, our results indicate that P1m evoked by vocal stimuli is a neurophysiological marker for language development in young children. Additionally, MEG is a technique that can be used to investigate the maturation of the auditory cortex based on auditory evoked fields in young children. This study is the first to demonstrate a significant relationship between the development of the auditory processing system and the development of language abilities in young children.

Predicting Pulmonary Function From the Analysis of Voice: A Machine Learning Approach.

INTRODUCTION: To self-monitor asthma symptoms, existing methods (e.g. peak flow metre, smart spirometer) require special equipment and are not always used by the patients. Voice recording has the potential to generate surrogate measures of lung function and this study aims to apply machine learning approaches to predict lung function and severity of abnormal lung function from recorded voice for asthma patients. METHODS: A threshold-based mechanism was designed to separate speech and breathing from 323 recordings. Features extracted from these were combined with biological factors to predict lung function. Three predictive models were developed using Random Forest (RF), Support Vector Machine (SVM), and linear regression algorithms: (a) regression models to predict lung function, (b) multi-class classification models to predict severity of lung function abnormality, and (c) binary classification models to predict lung function abnormality. Training and test samples were separated (70%:30%, using balanced portioning), features were normalised, 10-fold cross-validation was used and model performances were evaluated on the test samples. RESULTS: The RF-based regression model performed better with the lowest root mean square error of 10·86. To predict severity of lung function impairment, the SVM-based model performed best in multi-class classification (accuracy = 73.20%), whereas the RF-based model performed best in binary classification models for predicting abnormal lung function (accuracy = 85%). CONCLUSION: Our machine learning approaches can predict lung function, from recorded voice files, better than published approaches. This technique could be used to develop future telehealth solutions including smartphone-based applications which have potential to aid decision making and self-monitoring in asthma.

The Co-Construction of an Elegant Ending-Polyphonic Musical Intervention in Palliative Care: A Case Study.

The complexity of creative processes, within which human nature pines and finds itself, reflects a state of relational emergency. The weak structure of our multicultural system gives us a series of behavioral flaws, denouncing our inability to welcome diversity and treasure it. In the search for the way out, using the metaphor of polyphony is increasingly frequent. However, since the term Polyphony is borrowed from musical language, it would be necessary to experience it concretely, and this usually does not happen. Those musicians who aspire to be artists in helping relationships should constantly train themselves in this sense and force themselves to make their ability understood externally, helping those who for reasons of life find themselves experiencing the limit. The field of palliative care is probably the most suitable socio-cultural setting for getting in touch with the personal (mis)interpretations, idiosyncrasies, and pain of those who feel close to the end. To their aid, the aesthetic criterion advances. Making sacred the unifying experience of loss and finiteness turns into an educational process moreover therapeutic, in the co-construction of an elegant "finale" able to reach the heart and intelligence of those who remain.

Pitch-Synchronous Analysis of Human Voice.

OBJECTIVE: Based on simultaneous voice and electroglottograph (EGG) signals, to gain a better understanding of human voice production process, to make pitch-synchronous segmentation of voice signals, and to make visual representations of pitch marks and timbre spectra with high resolution. METHODS/DESIGN: The traditional spectrogram segments the voice signals with a process window of fixed size and fixed shift, then performs fast Fourier transformation after multiplied with a window function, typically a Hamming window. Then display power spectrum in both frequency and time. Pitch information and timbre information are mixed. The new design segments the signals into pitch periods, either using the derivatives of the EGG signals or based on the voice signals, then performs Fourier analysis to the segment of signals in each pitch period without using a window function. The pitch information and the timbre information are cleanly separated. The graphical representations of both pitch marks and timbre spectra exhibit high resolution and high accuracy. RESULTS: Detailed analysis of simultaneously acquired voice and EGG signals provides a more precise understanding of human-voice production process. The transient theory of voice production, proposed by Leonhard Euler in early 18th century, is substantiated with modern data. Based on the transient theory of voice production, a pitch-synchronous spectrogram software is developed, which makes a visual representation of pitch marks and timbre spectra. In addition, the timbre spectrum and the power evolution pattern in each pitch period can be displayed individually. CONCLUSIONS: Simultaneously acquired voice and EGG signals indicates that each glottal closing triggers a decaying elementary wave in the vocal tract. A superposition of those elementary waves constitutes voice. Based on that concept and using EGG data, a pitch-synchronous voice signal processing method is developed. The voice signal is first segmented into pitch periods, then the two ends are equalized. Fourier analysis is applied to obtain the timbre spectrum of each pitch period. High resolution display of timbre spectrum is generated. The power evolution pattern in each pitch period is also displayed.

Complexity-based decoding of the relation between human voice and brain activity.

BACKGROUND: The human voice is the main feature of human communication. It is known that the brain controls the human voice. Therefore, there should be a relation between the characteristics of voice and brain activity. OBJECTIVE: In this research, electroencephalography (EEG) as the feature of brain activity and voice signals were simultaneously analyzed. METHOD: For this purpose, we changed the activity of the human brain by applying different odours and simultaneously recorded their voices and EEG signals while they read a text. For the analysis, we used the fractal theory that deals with the complexity of objects. The fractal dimension of EEG signal versus voice signal in different levels of brain activity were computed and analyzed. RESULTS: The results indicate that the activity of human voice is related to brain activity, where the variations of the complexity of EEG signal are linked to the variations of the complexity of voice signal. In addition, the EEG and voice signal complexities are related to the molecular complexity of applied odours. CONCLUSION: The employed method of analysis in this research can be widely applied to other physiological signals in order to relate the activities of different organs of human such as the heart to the activity of his brain.

Vocal Parameters of Speech and Singing Covary and Are Related to Vocal Attractiveness, Body Measures, and Sociosexuality: A Cross-Cultural Study.

Perceived vocal attractiveness and measured sex-dimorphic vocal parameters are both associated with underlying individual qualities. Research tends to focus on speech but singing is another highly evolved communication system that has distinct and universal features with analogs in other species, and it is relevant in mating. Both speaking and singing voice provides relevant information about its producer. We tested whether speech and singing function as "backup signals" that indicate similar underlying qualities. Using a sample of 81 men and 86 women from Brazil and the Czech Republic, we investigated vocal attractiveness rated from speech and singing and its association with fundamental frequency (F0), apparent vocal tract length (VTL), body characteristics, and sociosexuality. F0, VTL, and rated attractiveness of singing and speaking voice strongly correlated within the same individual. Lower-pitched speech in men, higher-pitched speech and singing in women, individuals who like to sing more, and singing of individuals with a higher pitch modulation were perceived as more attractive. In men, physical size positively predicted speech and singing attractiveness. Male speech but not singing attractiveness was associated with higher sociosexuality. Lower-pitched male speech was related to higher sociosexuality, while lower-pitched male singing was linked to lower sociosexuality. Similarly, shorter speech VTL and longer singing VTL predicted higher sociosexuality in women. Different vocal displays function as "backup signals" cueing to attractiveness and body size, but their relation to sexual strategies in men and women differs. Both singing and speech may indicate evolutionarily relevant individual qualities shaped by sexual selection.

Trabajo interdisciplinario en las profesiones de la voz humana: retos, límites y proyecciones

El presente documento resume los principales aportes del conversatorio titulado "Trabajo interdisciplinario en las profesiones de la voz humana: retos, límites y proyecciones", organizado por Vocology Center el 18 de julio de 2023, que reunió a líderes y representantes de diversas agremiaciones relacionadas con la voz humana, incluyendo profesionales del ámbito clínico, artístico, rehabilitación vocal, voz ocupacional, pedagogía vocal y otras disciplinas afines. El propósito de este conversatorio fue promover un debate crítico sobre la naturaleza del trabajo interdisciplinario en el estudio de la voz humana. Se exploraron los desafíos que surgen al configurar equipos de trabajo que incluyan profesionales con diferentes enfoques y experticias en el abordaje de la voz, así como los límites inherentes a los diversos roles y funciones desempeñados por los profesionales especializados en este campo, junto con las cuestiones éticas emergentes en este proceso. Con un enfoque encaminado a fortalecer alianzas interdisciplinarias, el evento se centró en la búsqueda de una comunicación y colaboración más efectiva. Este documento marca un avance significativo en la comprensión y colaboración interdisciplinar en el cuidado de la voz humana.

This document summarizes the main contributions of the panel discussion titled "Interdisciplinary work in the human voice professions: challenges, limits and projections" organized by the Vocology Center on July 18, 2023. The event brought together leaders and representatives from various associations related to the human voice, including professionals from the clinical, artistic, vocal rehabilitation, occupational voice, vocal pedagogy, and other related disciplines. The purpose of this panel discussion was to promote a critical debate on the nature of interdisciplinary work in the study of the human voice. The discussion explored the challenges that emerge when teams that include professionals with different approaches and expertise address voice production, as well as the inherent boundaries of the various roles and functions performed by specialized professionals in this field, along with the emerging ethical issues in this process. With a focus on strengthening interdisciplinary collaborations, the event centered on seeking more effective communication and collaboration. This document represents a significant step forward in understanding and fostering interdisciplinary cooperation in the care of the human voice.

Human voice quality measurement in noisy environments.

BACKGROUND: Computerized acoustic voice measurement is essential for the diagnosis of vocal pathologies. Previous studies showed that ambient noises have significant influences on the accuracy of voice quality assessment. OBJECTIVE: This paper presents a voice quality assessment system that can accurately measure qualities of voice signals, even though the input voice data are contaminated by low-frequency noises. METHODS: The ambient noises in our living rooms and laboratories are collected and the frequencies of these noises are analyzed. Based on the analysis, a filter is designed to reduce noise level of the input voice signal. Then, improved numerical algorithms are employed to extract voice parameters from the voice signal to reveal the health of the voice signal. RESULTS: Compared with MDVP and Praat, the proposed method outperforms these two widely used programs in measuring fundamental frequency and harmonic-to-noise ratio, and its performance is comparable to these two famous programs in computing jitter and shimmer. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed voice quality assessment method is resistant to low-frequency noises and it can measure human voice quality in environments filled with noises from air-conditioners, ceiling fans and cooling fans of computers.

Human vocal tract resonances and the corresponding mode shapes investigated by three-dimensional finite-element modelling based on CT measurement.

Resonance frequencies of the vocal tract have traditionally been modelled using one-dimensional models. These cannot accurately represent the events in the frequency region of the formant cluster around 2.5-4.5 kHz, however. Here, the vocal tract resonance frequencies and their mode shapes are studied using a three-dimensional finite element model obtained from computed tomography measurements of a subject phonating on vowel [a:]. Instead of the traditional five, up to eight resonance frequencies of the vocal tract were found below the prominent antiresonance around 4.7 kHz. The three extra resonances were found to correspond to modes which were axially asymmetric and involved the piriform sinuses, valleculae, and transverse vibrations in the oral cavity. The results therefore suggest that the phenomenon of speaker's and singer's formant clustering may be more complex than originally thought.

Sounds elicit relative left frontal alpha activity in 2-month-old infants.

As one kind of sounds, human voices are important for language acquisition and human-infant relations. Human voices have positive effects on infants, e.g., soothe infants and evoke an infant's smile. Increased left relative to right frontal alpha activity as assessed by the electroencephalogram (EEG) is considered to reflect approach-related emotions. In the present study, we recorded the EEG in thirty-eight 2-month-old infants during a baseline period while listening to sounds, i.e., human voices. Infants displayed increased relative left frontal alpha activity in response to sounds compared to the baseline condition. These results suggest that sounds can elicit relative left frontal activity in young infants, and that this approach-related emotion presents early in life.