Validation of a clinical test of auditory emotion recognition

Abstract

Currently, there are no accessible clinical tests that can be used to measure auditory emotion recognition. Experimental emotion recognition tasks usually involve many stimuli and take a lot of time to complete, making them unfeasible for use in a clinical setting. Prior research from our laboratory has measured the impact of various test factors on auditory emotion recognition, including the number of emotion categories, the number of stimuli per emotion category, the number of talkers, and using sentence versus word materials. In this study, we present a preliminary validation of a proposed audiotry emotion recognition test. Based on the results from our laboratory, the test consists of forty sentences (1 sentence × 10 talkers × 4 emotions) in order to maintain an appropriate test duration for a clinical setting. Listeners with normal hearing will complete the testing in quiet. Results will be compared with expectations informed by prior research. Performance and duration of the task will be measured, and standard deviation of scores among all participants will be assessed. Implications will be discussed, including the percentage correct of emotion recognition by normal hearing listeners.