Hearing Perception Research Articles

Gender-Affirming Voice Training for Trans Women: Acoustic Outcomes and Their Associations With Listener Perceptions Related to Gender

ObjectivesTo investigate acoustic outcomes of gender affirming voice training for trans women wanting to develop a female sounding voice, and to describe what happens acoustically when male sounding voices become more female sounding. Study DesignProspective treatment study with repeated measures. MethodsN=74 trans women completed a voice training program of 8–12 sessions and had their voices audio recorded twice before and twice after training. Reference data were obtained from N=40 cisgender speakers. Fundamental frequency (fo), formant frequencies (F1–F4), Sound Pressure Level (Leq), and level difference between 1st – 2nd harmonic (L1–L2,) were extracted from a reading passage and spontaneous speech. N=79 naive listeners provided gender–related ratings of participants’ audio-recordings. A linear mixed effects model was used to estimate average training effects. Individual level analyses determined how changes in acoustic data were related to listeners’ ratings. ResultsGroup data showed substantial training effects on fo (average, minimum and maximum) and formant frequencies. Individual data demonstrated that many participants also increased Leq and some increased L1–L2. Measures that most strongly predicted listener ratings of a female sounding voice were: fo, average formant frequency, and Leq. ConclusionThis is the largest prospective study reporting on acoustic outcomes of gender-affirming voice training for trans women. We confirm findings from previous smaller scale studies by demonstrating that listener perceptions of male and female sounding voices are related to acoustic voice features, and that that voice training for trans women wanting to sound female is associated with desirable acoustic changes, indicating training effectiveness. Although acoustic measures can be a valuable indicator of training effectiveness, particularly from the perspective of clinicians and researchers, we contend that a combination of outcome measures, including client perspectives, are needed to provide comprehensive evaluation of gender affirming voice training that is relevant for all stakeholders.

Effects of formant peak flattening on vowel perception: A larger-scale web-based experiment

Ito et al. reported that suppressing the first or the second formant in Japanese synthesized vowels did not importantly change listener perception. However, quantitative analyses of data collected in the English (Nenadić et al., 2020) and the Serbian language (Nenadić et al., 2023) have shown that formant suppression increases response entropy between participants (i.e., decreases agreement in vowel identity). Previous studies never tested more than fifteen participants, but it was noted that certain listeners gave different responses to a manipulated synthesized vowel in comparison to its original version more often than others. We tested 118 native monolingual speakers of Serbian language (87% female, 13% male; age 18 to 44, M = 21.07, SD = 4.71) in an online replication of the experiment. The results again show that listeners agree less about vowel identity for stimuli with suppressed formants. Certain listeners again tended to change their response to the manipulated version of the vowel more often than others. Importantly, this tendency did not correlate with their mean response latency. We discuss possible causes for these findings, including differences in listener strategies and time requirements of a more careful processing of the incoming signal.

Neither saintly nor psychotic: a narrative systematic review of the evolving Western perception of voice hearing.

We present a social-historical perspective on the evolution of the voice-hearing phenomenon in Western society. Based upon a systematic search from a selection of nine databases, we trace the way hearing voices has been understood throughout the ages. Originally, hearing voices was considered a gifted talent for accessing the divine, but the progressive influence of monotheistic religion gradually condemned the practice to social marginalization. Later, the medical and psychiatric professions of secular society were instrumental in attaching stigma to both voice hearers and the phenomenon itself, thereby reinforcing social exclusion. More recently, the re-integration of voice hearers into the community by health authorities in various countries appears to have provided a new, socially acceptable setting for the phenomenon.

Problems of teaching literature in special schools of Uzbekistan: the correctional-pedagogical model of the speech development

This article reveals the correctional and pedagogical system for the development of the speech of hearing impaired students in the process of literary education. An innovative approach to the development of speech has been developed in the correctional pedagogical system; a methodological system has been created aimed at developing the skill of presenting the text of a read work of art; integration links have been established between the lessons of literary education and lessons on the development of speech, visual activity, lessons of familiarization with the outside world, the development of hearing perception and the formation of pronunciation skills; types of design activities have been developed that correspond to the level of speech and mental development of hearing impaired students for the process of literary education and ehtracurricular lessons.

Cultural Harmonies: Exploring Compositional Techniques and Cultural Fusion in Guizhou Ethnic Minority Music

This study investigates compositional techniques within Guizhou Ethnic Minority Music, focusing on the transformative influence of cultural fusion. Through interviews with local musicians from the Miao, Dong, Yi, and Shui ethnic groups, the research identifies recurring elements and variations in musical practices. Cultural fusion emerges as a dynamic force shaping compositional creativity, where deliberate blending of traditional instruments, melodic motifs, and rhythmic patterns transcends individual ethnic styles. The impact on the listener's perception reveals enhanced accessibility and relatability, attracting a diverse audience. The dual role of cultural fusion is evident—preserving cultural identity while catalyzing musical evolution. As musicians adapt tradition to contemporary contexts, Guizhou Ethnic Minority Music becomes a bridge between heritage and innovation. The study contributes to broader discussions on global music by highlighting the power of cultural fusion in fostering cross-cultural understanding. Guizhou's musicians emerge as cultural ambassadors, shaping a narrative that transcends geographic boundaries, inviting scholars and enthusiasts to explore the intricate interplay of tradition, innovation, and cultural exchange in the musical realm.

Deaf and hearing perceptions about visual pedagogy in science classes

The challenge is still great for all students to feel included in the activities proposed by the school. Referring to deaf students, this challenge also presents itself, as it is necessary to understand their identities, culture and sign language. The objective of this article is to analyze deaf and hearing perceptions about visual pedagogy in science classes. The methodology used was a qualitative approach, descriptive in nature and of a case study type. The technique used was interviews with deaf students, a hearing teacher and a Libras interpreter. The results showed that there are signs of Visual Pedagogy through some classes using visual elements. It was also evident that the teacher's pedagogical practices need to be redefined, in the sense of thinking about more visual strategies for teaching deaf people and using them in the classroom.

TenseMusic: An automatic prediction model for musical tension.

The perception of tension and release dynamics constitutes one of the essential aspects of music listening. However, modeling musical tension to predict perception of listeners has been a challenge to researchers. Seminal work demonstrated that tension is reported consistently by listeners and can be accurately predicted from a discrete set of musical features, combining them into a weighted sum of slopes reflecting their combined dynamics over time. However, previous modeling approaches lack an automatic pipeline for feature extraction that would make them widely accessible to researchers in the field. Here, we present TenseMusic: an open-source automatic predictive tension model that operates with a musical audio as the only input. Using state-of-the-art music information retrieval (MIR) methods, it automatically extracts a set of six features (i.e., loudness, pitch height, tonal tension, roughness, tempo, and onset frequency) to use as predictors for musical tension. The algorithm was optimized using Lasso regression to best predict behavioral tension ratings collected on 38 Western classical musical pieces. Its performance was then tested by assessing the correlation between the predicted tension and unseen continuous behavioral tension ratings yielding large mean correlations between ratings and predictions approximating r = .60 across all pieces. We hope that providing the research community with this well-validated open-source tool for predicting musical tension will motivate further work in music cognition and contribute to elucidate the neural and cognitive correlates of tension dynamics for various musical genres and cultures.

EXPLORATION OF SELF DISCLOSURE: A PSYCHOSOCIAL BARRIER OF MERANTAU STUDENTS

Self Disclosure is one of the social skills that must be possessed, especially for overseas students. These social skills will give birth to social interactions that will create good psychosocial conditions in social relationships. This study aims to describe the level of self-disclosure of overseas students in the Guidance and Counseling study program at the Bukittinggi State Islamic University. This type of research includes a quantitative descriptive research instrument, namely the self-disclosure scale. The population in the study were guidance and counseling students from outside West Sumatra, totaling 43 people. Sampling was taken using a non-probability sampling technique with a purposive sampling technique. The results of the study revealed that the self-disclosure level of overseas students at Bukittinggi State Islamic University was in the moderate category with 65.11% while the highest self-disclosure aspect was in the aspect of cultural perception. Research findings based on gender reveal that female students are more open than male students, namely in the aspects of perception of culture, perception of gender, perception of listeners, and perception of topics while men are more open in aspects of self-knowledge.

Audiologists’ Perception of Hearing and Balance Health-care Resources and Services in Saudi Arabia

Background: Hearing loss and balance disorders are the most commonly diagnosed health conditions. The prevalence of these conditions is on the rise as the population ages and diagnostic and treatment technologies become more advanced. The health-care system still struggles to meet many nations’ needs due to insufficient resources and services. The objective of the study was to evaluate audiologists’ perceptions of hearing and balance health-care resources and services in Saudi Arabia’s public health system. Materials and Methods: A questionnaire survey was conducted through E-mail, social media, mobile phone, and face-to-face with audiologists across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with the final sample consisting of 66 audiologists. Results: The majority (92.4%) of audiologists in Saudi Arabia indicated that the services are inadequate because their hospitals lack adequate hearing health-care resources to provide efficient audiology services to patients. Video head impulse test and automated auditory brain stem response were perceived as unavailable in most hospitals. In addition, audiologists reported that vestibular rehabilitation services, cochlear implants, and the number of clinics were limited. Conclusion: Great efforts should be made to develop audiovestibular services, which include enhancing practitioners’ vestibular knowledge by implementing more vestibular workshops; more vestibular clinics are needed to overcome the shortage of vestibular services; creating public awareness campaigns about vestibular and audiology; and hiring additional audiologists where needed within Saudi Arabia.

Listener perception of changes in historically informed performance of solo baroque music due to room acoustics

A listening test was performed to determine whether there were any perceived differences in the playing styles of musicians as a function of the room in which the music was performed. This listening test was part of a larger study aimed at investigating the impact of room acoustics on historically informed performance (HIP) of baroque music which included an objective analysis framework designed to capture dimensions of performance important to a historical baroque playing style. The test included both flute and viol examples and included the participation of 20 musically trained listeners with a background in HIP. The results of the test showed some significant differences in certain performance parameters for both instruments. In particular, the flute examples demonstrated differences that aligned with reports from the flutists about the strategies they used to adapt to the different acoustics, and there was agreement between listener ratings and previously extracted objective parameters. These findings suggest that room acoustics play a role in shaping musical performance, and that the resulting changes can be perceived by listeners.

Quantifying Vocal Repertoire Tessituras Through Real-Time Measures.

Voice teachers use anecdotal evidence and experience in determining the appropriateness of repertoire for each student's development. Tessitura is important in that determination, but until recently a straightforward, repeatable, and quantifiable method for determining tessitura has not existed. However, technology exists to provide the means to estimate the tessituras of standard vocal repertoire by measuring sung pitch (fundamental frequency) and vocal dose (amount of phonation) in real-time performance. The purpose of this study was to examine the combined use of tessituragrams, Voice Range Profiles (VRPs), a singer's self-perception of a performance, and expert listeners perception of a performance towards the goal of a more systematic way of selecting appropriate voice repertoire for singers. The following research questions guided this investigation: 1) How do Performance Range Profiles (PRPs, performance-based tessituragrams computed from neck skin surface vibration during singing), compare to score-based tessituragrams of the same selection in the same key? 2) How do PRPs of the same vocal score compare when performed in three different keys? 3) How do singer VRPs compare with PRPs of three performances of a score, each sung in a different key? and 4) How do singer and expert panel perceptions of the selection's "fit" in three different keys compare with the alignment of each singer's VRP to their PRPs? Four female singers and five expert voice pedagogues were enlisted to address these questions. The distribution (histogram) of the score-based tessituragram closely matched the distribution of performance-based tessituragrams (PRP), suggesting that score-based tessituragrams have promise in accurately reflecting the performance-based tessitura of a musical vocal work. Acquired data revealed relationships of practical importance between score-derived tessituragrams, PRPs, acquired VRPs, and singer perceptions of ease in singing. These data suggest that score-based tessituragrams aligned with singer VRPs show promise in repertoire selection. However, there was only a minor relationship between expert panel perceptions of ease in singing and the acquired PRPs or singer perceptions of ease. Creation of a score-based tessituragram database could be combined with singer VRPs to assist in appropriate repertoire selection.

Acoustic and Perceptual Effects of Articulation Exercises in Transgender Women.

This study measured the impact of articulation exercises using a cork and articulation exercises for lip spreading on the formant frequencies of vowels and listener perceptions of femininity in transgender women. Thirteen transgender women were recorded before and after the cork exercise and before and after the lip spreading exercise. Speech samples included continuous speech during reading and were analyzed using Praat software. Vowel formant frequencies (F1, F2, F3, F4, F5) and vowel space were determined. A listening experiment was organized using naïve cisgender women and cisgender men rating audio samples of continuous speech. Masculinity/femininity, vocal quality and age were rated, using a visual analogue scale (VAS). Concerning vowel formant frequencies, F2 /a/ and F5 /u/ significantly increased after the lip spreading exercise, as well as F3 /a/, F3 /u/ and F4 /a/ after the cork exercise. The lip spreading exercise had more impact on the F2 /a/ than the cork exercise. Vowel space did not change after the exercises. The fundamental frequency (fo) increased simultaneously during both exercises. Both articulation exercises were associated with significantly increased listener perceptions of femininity of the voice. Subtle changes in formant frequencies can be observed after performing articulation exercises, but not in every formant frequency or vowel. Cisgender listeners rated the speech of the transgender women more feminine after the exercises. Further research with a more extensive therapy program and listening experiment is needed to examine these preliminary findings.

영어 무성치경폐쇄음의 기식음화와 성문음화의 자질 보존성 관계 연구

This study is to argue that the choice between aspiration and glottalization of /t/ by speakers in the same phonological environment can be influenced by differences in the ranking of feature preservation constraints. Besides, I propose that if Korean learners of English tend to produce aspiration in environments where glottalization are prevalent, it results from applying the constraint favoring listener's perceptive ease being ranked higher than that favoring speaker's articulatory ease. Allophones of /t/ can vary even among native speakers due to different sociolinguistic factors. When Korean learners of English apply the constraint of [aspirated] feature preservation at a high ranking, with the intention of enhancing listener's perception, pronunciation errors may occur. Also, if they rank high the constraint for avoiding consonant cluster, which is not allowed in Korean language, they can produce awkward pronunciation. Therefore, by analyzing aspiration and glottalization of /t/ through Optimality Theory, this paper aims to demonstrate that the reason English /t/ exhibits more phonological variants and allophones is attributed to the low feature preservation it holds.

Effective Duration of Auditory Training for Speech Perception in Hearing-Impaired Listeners: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to conduct a meta-analysis to determine the effective duration of auditory training for hearing aid users and cochlear implant users and to identify factors that influence the effectiveness of auditory training.Methods: We searched literature published from January 1996 to August 2021 in Pubmed, Web of Science, Embase and Cochrane Library. A total of 24 studies that met the selection criteria were systematically reviewed and analyzed through meta-analysis. Standardized mean differences and 95% confidence intervals were calculated.Results: The overall meta-analysis results for auditory training showed an effect size of -0.833, and the effect size was larger in “more than 600 minutes of auditory training” compared to “less than 600 minutes”. There was no statistically significant difference in effect size during follow-up observation after the completion of auditory training, with an effect size of 0.057 (95% CI: -0.113-0.112, <i>p</i>=0.988). Subgroup analysis showed that the effect size was larger in the “children” group than in the “adult” group. The effect size of auditory training was larger when the auditory training and measurement conditions were the same.Conclusions: Auditory training can improve speech perception in individuals wearing HA and/or CI, and the training effect was shown to be maintained even after the completion of auditory training. In addition, it was found that the longer the duration of auditory training (more than 10 hours), the greater the training effect.

Effects of entropy in real-world noise on speech perception in listeners with normal hearing and hearing lossa).

Hearing aids show more benefit in traditional laboratory speech-in-noise tests than in real-world noisy environments. Real-world noise comprises a large range of acoustic properties that vary randomly and rapidly between and within environments, making quantifying real-world noise and using it in experiments and clinical tests challenging. One approach is to use acoustic features and statistics to quantify acoustic properties of real-world noise and control for them or measure their relationship to listening performance. In this study, the complexity of real-world noise from different environments was quantified using entropy in both the time- and frequency-domains. A distribution of noise segments from low to high entropy were extracted. Using a trial-by-trial design, listeners with normal hearing and hearing loss (in aided and unaided conditions) repeated back sentences embedded in these noise segments. Entropy significantly affected speech perception, with a larger effect of entropy in the time-domain than the frequency-domain, a larger effect for listeners with normal hearing than for listeners with hearing loss, and a larger effect for listeners with hearing loss in the aided than unaided condition. Speech perception also differed between most environment types. Combining entropy with the environment type improved predictions of speech perception above the environment type alone.

Frequency of hearing loss in children with cerebral palsy and parents’ perception regarding their child’s hearing.

Objective: To determine frequency of hearing loss in cerebral palsy (CP) children and perception of child’s hearing and brain evoked response auditory (BERA) / brainstem auditory evoked potential (BAEP) results in CP patients. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Department of Pediatric Neurology, Liaquat National Hospital, Karachi. Period: January 2022 to December 2022. Material & Methods: The parents of all the CP children having cerebral palsy and who were nor assessed for hearing screening at birth (newborn hearing screening) were included. In child neurology clinic, parents were interviewed for the perception of the hearing of the child. Parental perception, CP type and the BERA results were recorded. Results: Total 102 patients were studied with median age of 27.9 (IQR= 17 – 48) months. Majority of the patients were normally delivered (n=59, 57.8%). Nearly quarter of them underwent neonatal screening (n=22, 21.6%). Majority of mothers (n=85, 83.3%) and father (n=80, 78.4%) had perception of hearing. BERA test was normal for 44 (43.1%) children. Age was significantly higher among patients with abnormal results. Frequency mothers’ perception of normal hearing was higher in abnormal BERA result. Frequency of difficult speech was higher in patients with abnormal BERA results. Conclusion: The frequency of hearing loss was high among children with CP. Frequency of mothers’ perception of their CP child’s normal hearing was higher when compared to the father’s perception.

Frequency-discrimination and speech-perception characteristics of bone-conducted sound presented to the facial parts

Bone-conducted (BC) sound is typically presented to the mastoid process of the temporal bone or the condyle process of the mandible. However, a method of presenting BC sound to facial parts such as the nose and cheek have also been investigated recently. Since the face is one of the most complex structures in the human body, slight differences in the presentation parts of the vibrator will also change the perception and propagation mechanism. However, the characteristics of BC sound presented to the face have not yet been studied in detail. We have previously discussed the differences in perception (hearing thresholds) and propagation characteristics among facial parts. Here, to test the frequency-discrimination ability, we measured difference limens for frequency. We also conducted monosyllable articulation tests in Japanese to assess the speech-perception characteristics when BC sounds are presented to various facial (nasal, infraorbital region, zygomatic, jaw angle, and chin) and conventional (mastoid and condyle process) parts. The results obtained showed that the frequency resolution and intelligibility of the facial parts were about the same as those of the conventional parts. It is indicated that practical frequency information and speech perception are possible with BC devices attached to certain facial parts.

Interpretive Content of a Musical Work: The Performing Aspect

The relevance of this study is determined by the urgent importance the issues of training the musicians in the context of qualitative nurturing their abilities for music interpretation in accordance with the author's main ideas. The purpose of this study lies in the analysis of the main features of the problem of interpretation of musical works by different composers, in terms of the development of the performing skills of musicians, as a major constituent of qualitative perception of a musical piece. The leading methodological approach to consideration within the scope of the research combines a systematic approach to the study of the features of performing different pieces of musical culture, depending on their individual characteristics and the level of performance skills, with the analytical study of the development of performance skills of the individual performers, in the context of their training in modern educational institutions of primary, secondary and higher music education. The results of this study indicate the high importance of qualitative interpretation of musical works by performers for the perception of listeners, as well as the low level of research on this range of issues, which necessitates further research in this area. The results and conclusions of this study are essential for teachers of educational institutions that train future musicians, as well as for the musicians themselves, who by the nature of their professional activities face the urgent need to reflect in the musical works they perform the author's intention expressed in the intonational palette of the musical work and to enhance their performance to expand their ability to reflect the meanings of a piece of music.

The synthetic nature of the violinist-performer’s professionalism (on the material of L. Spohr’s “Violin school”)

Statement of the problem. The modern academic violin performance art is an extensive and multi-level phenomenon. Musicians choose one or another direction of self-realization (soloist, ensemble or quartet player, orchestra artist), achieving a certain level of mastery in it. Such a narrowing of specialization, determined by the history of musical art, on the one hand, helps to increase the level of professionalism, and on the other hand, it ruins the integrity of the figure of the performer in the perception of musicians and listeners. The scientific literature devoted to the issues of violin performance in various roles is quite extensive and versatile and makes it possible to understand certain aspects of a musician’s creative life. Recently researches by L. Bishop et al. (2021), E. B. Horwitz et al. (2021), E. Cho (2021), and others gives a chance to understand the creative life of a violinist in a fragmented way, stimulating the desire to achieve a certain integrity when considering the stated problem. Objectives, methods, and novelty of the research. The purpose of the study is to consider the synthetic nature of the violinist’s professionalism and its manifestation in various directions of his / her creative realization. The cognitive apparatus of the study is based on the combination of historical-theoretical, structural-functional, comparative, hermeneutic, and systemic methods of analysis, owing to which the synthetic nature of the violinist-performer’s professionalism unfolds in different angles. For the first time, the professionalism of the violinist is considered from the point of view of its synthetic nature; in the context of the chosen topic, L. Spohr’s thorough views in his “Violin School” are highlighted. Research results. Solo, ensemble, quartet or orchestral playing differs in the functional characteristics of the musician: status that determines his/her behaviour and the type of communication – the role. Acquiring practical knowledge in each of these specializations, the violinist realizes the uniqueness of the respective statuses and roles, enrichs self-own artistic-aesthetic, socio-cultural experience, thereby developing intelligence, expanding the psycho-emotional range and scope of his / her performer art. L. Spohr in the “Violin School” provides his own vision of the universal qualities of a violinist and separately characterizes his / her various statuses and roles. Although this methodical work is almost two hundred years old, the relevance of the author’s advice is not lost even today. Conclusion. Regardless of the chosen status, the violinist faces some circle of art tasks. They are based on the features of the implementation and delivery of a specific composer’s idea to the listener and determine the musician’s use of a particular set of playing skills. Mastering various “roles”, which clearly demonstrate the synthetic nature of a violinist’s professionalism, allows one to demonstrate exactly those qualities that are required by the chosen form of music making and the composer’s intention. In our opinion, the study of the specifics of communicative and role-playing processes can contribute to the rethinking of established pedagogical methods and the value of a comprehensive approach to learning, on which L. Shpor’s “Violin School” is based.

Evaluation of Subjective Eustachian Tube Function and Hearing Perception of Patients with Acute and Chronic Rhinosinusitis

Evaluation of Subjective Eustachian Tube Function and Hearing Perception of Patients with Acute and Chronic Rhinosinusitis