Abstract

A large part of successful interpersonal communication relies on both the production and interpretation of vocal and facial expressions. Both of these abilities appear to be impaired in people with Parkinson’s disease (PD), a neurodegenerative disease affecting the muscles of the body. Based on positive effects of rhythmic auditory stimulation on overall motor functioning and the effects of intentional simulation of expression on facial mimicry, the present study investigated the impact of a choir program involving singing of happy and sad songs on a group of 12 PD patients. Participants were tested before and after program completion on measures of: (1) facial mimicry of a range of emotional expressions; (2) emotion perception, and; (3) vocal quality. It was found that choir participation improved some measures of vocal quality, while effects on facial mimicry and emotion perception were marginal.

Highlights

  • AUTHOR'S DECLARATION FOR ELECTRONIC SUBMISSION OF A THESIS I hereby declare that I am the sole author of this thesis

  • This study was designed to investigate the rehabilitative potential of a specialized 13week choir program for a range of emotional communication deficits in people with Parkinson’s disease (PD), in the areas of facial mimicry, emotion perception and vocal quality

  • Based on the benefits of our previous study’s singing therapy on the mimicry of targeted emotions (Livingstone et al, in progress), and the targeting of happy and sad emotions in the choir program used for the present study, we predicted that mimicry of happy and sad expressions would significantly improve following completion of the choir, and that improvements in vocal parameters would be observed

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Summary

Introduction

AUTHOR'S DECLARATION FOR ELECTRONIC SUBMISSION OF A THESIS I hereby declare that I am the sole author of this thesis. I authorize Ryerson University to lend this thesis to other institutions or individuals for the purpose of scholarly research. I further authorize Ryerson University to reproduce this thesis by photocopying or by other means, in total or in part, at the request of other institutions or individuals for the purpose of scholarly research. A large part of successful interpersonal communication relies on both the production and interpretation of vocal and facial expressions. Both of these abilities appear to be impaired in people with Parkinson’s disease (PD), a neurodegenerative disease affecting the muscles of the body. It was found that choir participation improved some measures of vocal quality, while effects on facial mimicry and emotion perception were marginal

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