Vocal Tasks Research Articles

Quantifying Vocal Power: Correlation of Whole-Body Anaerobic Power to Vocal Function Measures.

Purpose The purpose of this preliminary study was to identify a vocal task that could be used as a clinical indicator of the vocal aptitude or vocal fitness required for vocally demanding occupations in a manner similar to that of the anaerobic power tests commonly used in exercise science. Performance outcomes for vocal tasks that require rapid acceleration and high force production may be useful as an indirect indicator of muscle fiber complement and bioenergetic fitness of the larynx, an organ that is difficult to study directly. Method Sixteen women (age range: 19-24 years, M age = 22 years) were consented for participation and completed the following performance measures: forced vital capacity, three adapted vocal function tasks, and the horizontal sprint test. Results Using a within-participant correlational analyses, results indicated a positive relationship between the rate of the last second of a laryngeal diadochokinesis task that was produced at a high fundamental frequency/high sound level and anaerobic power. Forced vital capacity was not correlated with any of the vocal function tasks. Conclusions These preliminary results indicate that aspects of the laryngeal diadochokinesis task produced at a high fundamental frequency and high sound level may be useful as an ecologically valid measure of vocal power ability. Quantification of vocal power ability may be useful as a vocal fitness assessment or as an outcome measure for voice rehabilitation and habilitation for patients with vocally demanding jobs.

Student perceptions of factors that influence clinical competency in voice

Purpose This study aimed to explore factors, perceived by students themselves, that help or hinder development of competency in voice. Method Focus group interviews were conducted with a convenience sample of 14 speech pathology students (93% female, mean age 22 years). Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed using template analysis. Result Students’ perceptions of influencing factors were grouped into two major themes: (1) personal factors, and (2) educational factors. A key finding was that many participants perceived a student’s own voice to be a major factor impacting their development and attainment of clinical competency in voice, and that mindsets towards the (un)changeability of students’ own voices varied across participants. Students with a performance background were considered to be at an advantage in terms of performing vocal tasks and suitability to work with specific populations. Key facilitatory educational factors included access to and experience of demonstrations (face-to-face and video), additional training workshops, peer learning, and simulation. Conclusion This study identified a number of personal and educational factors that students perceive to impact the development of competency in voice. Consideration of these holistic factors may assist speech-language pathology educators to deliver optimally effective voice-related curricula.

Relationships between vocal pitch perception and production: a developmental perspective

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between vocal pitch discrimination abilities and vocal responses to auditory pitch-shifts. Twenty children (6.6–11.7 years) and twenty adults (18–28 years) completed a listening task to determine auditory discrimination abilities to vocal fundamental frequency (fo) as well as two vocalization tasks in which their perceived fo was modulated in real-time. These pitch-shifts were either unexpected, providing information on auditory feedback control, or sustained, providing information on sensorimotor adaptation. Children were subdivided into two groups based on their auditory pitch discrimination abilities; children within two standard deviations of the adult group were classified as having adult-like discrimination abilities (N = 11), whereas children outside of this range were classified as having less sensitive discrimination abilities than adults (N = 9). Children with less sensitive auditory pitch discrimination abilities had significantly larger vocal response magnitudes to unexpected pitch-shifts and significantly smaller vocal response magnitudes to sustained pitch-shifts. Children with less sensitive auditory pitch discrimination abilities may rely more on auditory feedback and thus may be less adept at updating their stored motor programs.

Spasmodic Dysphonia: Standardized Spanish Tool for Ambulatory Consult Diagnosis

Spasmodic dysphonia (SD) is a focal dystonia of the larynx where involuntary spasms of its intrinsic muscles are triggered by specific phonemes. The diagnosis is challenging and is performed by listening to the patient's voice, supported by nasolaryngoscopy. There is no diagnostic tool in Spanish for SD. The objective of our study is to establish phonetically studied vocal tasks in Spanish language to diagnose patients with SD. This is a prospective study in three groups of patients: 11 with SD, 11 with another vocal disease, and 11 with no vocal disease, recruited in the Voice Unit of Hospital Clínico Universidad Católica. Of the patients with SD, 10 (90.9%) had adductor SD and 1 (9.1%) abductor SD. Vocal tasks phonetically studied by a speech language pathologist as laryngeal spasm triggers were recorded. The audio recordings were randomized and analyzed by nine evaluators: three experts and six otolaryngology residents. The correlation between the different professionals for the correct diagnosis was analyzed. The audio recordings were analyzed and patients with SD presented irregular voice breaks that occurred during the trigger phonemes. Evaluators classified the audio recordings: the expert group presented 100% sensitivity, 95-100% specificity and individual consistency of κ=0.73-0.82. The interrater agreement was 81.8%. The resident group presented 55-100% sensitivity, 58-95% specificity, and individual consistency of κ=0.36-0.82. The interrater agreement was 67.0%. We obtained a strong to almost perfect interrater agreement in experts and fair to almost perfect in residents. This study shows that the established list of phonetically studied and standardized words can be a useful tool for the diagnosis of SD.

Критерії, показники та рівні підготовленості майбутніх магістрів музичного мистецтва до формування вокальної культури школярів засобами технології партисипації

The article presents the criteria, indicators and levels of Musical Arts masters’ preparedness (proficiency levels) for developing schoolchildren’s vocal culture by means of the participation technology. The art- and worldview-oriented, creative-performing and innovative-organizational criteria have been determined on the basis of the structure of the Musical Art masters’ training. The art- and worldview-oriented criterion is determined by: the openness of the process of emotional experience and artistically justified interpretation of an image as a worldview of an artistic character (hero); coordination while identifying moral orientations in a group and an independent choice of vocal value; mastering the variability of vocal artistic and pedagogical creative tasks and flexible technologies. The creative-performing criterion is characterized by a high level of participants’ vocal culture; mastery of types, techniques, organizational forms of vocal participation; voluntariness and interest in the general vocal process, polysubject-centred creative pedagogical interaction. The innovative-organizational criterion is revealed through these indicators: skills to organize and conduct an interactive lesson as a vocal participatory art-practice; knowledge of the stages and experience of organizing the process of making a cooperative vocal-creative decision; mastery of the means enabling the activation of the group energy involving all participants of the vocal process. The preparedness (proficiency) levels of the subjects involved into education have been determined – low, intermediate, high. The criteria, indicators and levels indicated in the work allow evaluating Musical Arts masters’ preparedness for developing schoolchildren’s vocal culture by means of the participation technology in a complex way as well as determining the state and development dynamics of the vocal culture of the students constituting this category. Keywords: masters of Musical Art, schoolchildren’s vocal culture, technologies, participation, function, criterion, indicator, level.

Individuals with cochlear implants use feedback from their own productions to alter the pitch of their voice

The feedback cochlear implant (CI) users’ receive of their own voice is greatly distorted by the CI processor, which may cause these individuals to ignore that feedback. A series of studies were conducted to investigate if this is the case. In the first study, because bilateral CI users often hear rumbly sounds with one CI and squeaky sounds with the other CI, bilateral CI users were asked to produce a sustained vowel (/a/) when using either their left or right CI. Many participants produced different F0s depending on which CI they were using. In the second study, participants were presented with altered feedback, where brief shifts in the spectrum were introduced to the feedback from their own voice. Participants shifted the pitch of their voice in response. In the third experiment, stimulation patterns were shifted either apically or basally while participants completed a number of vocal tasks. Participants reliably shifted the pitch of their voice, compensating for the shifted place of stimulation. Taken together, the results indicate that CI users are monitoring their own vocal productions and using that feedback to alter their F0. Additionally, the results suggest that the place of stimulation is a key aspect of that feedback.The feedback cochlear implant (CI) users’ receive of their own voice is greatly distorted by the CI processor, which may cause these individuals to ignore that feedback. A series of studies were conducted to investigate if this is the case. In the first study, because bilateral CI users often hear rumbly sounds with one CI and squeaky sounds with the other CI, bilateral CI users were asked to produce a sustained vowel (/a/) when using either their left or right CI. Many participants produced different F0s depending on which CI they were using. In the second study, participants were presented with altered feedback, where brief shifts in the spectrum were introduced to the feedback from their own voice. Participants shifted the pitch of their voice in response. In the third experiment, stimulation patterns were shifted either apically or basally while participants completed a number of vocal tasks. Participants reliably shifted the pitch of their voice, compensating for the shifted place of stimulation. Tak...

Common and specific loci of Stroop effects in vocal and manual tasks, revealed by event-related brain potentials and posthypnotic suggestions.

In the Stroop task color words are shown in various print colors. When print colors are named or classified with button presses, interference occurs if word meaning is color-incongruent and facilitation if it is congruent. Although the Stroop effects in vocal and manual task versions are similar, it is unclear whether the underlying mechanisms are equivalent. We addressed this question by (a) recording event-related brain potentials (ERPs), (b) manipulating the lexicality of neutral stimuli, and (c) giving posthypnotic suggestions (PHS) that written words would lose their meaning. The Stroop effect in the vocal version was twice its manual counterpart. PHS strongly reduced both effects by a similar amount, supporting a common semantic locus during reading. Task- and hypnosis-invariant lexicality effects for neutral words ruled out presemantic reading loci. Articulation-artifact corrected ERPs showed task-invariant Stroop effects in N400 amplitudes, supporting similar semantic loci. However, in the vocal task response-locked ERPs indicated a task-specific Stroop effect over left-inferior frontal and parietal scalp sites, suggesting interference during word production. Interestingly, PHS increased the N1 and decreased the N2 components in ERPs, regardless of congruency, indicating enhanced proactive executive control and diminished demands on conflict-monitoring, respectively. Stroop effects in the N400 were reduced by PHS, confirming their semantic locus. In conclusion, vocal and manual Stroop versions seem to share semantic loci of conflict. The bigger vocal Stroop effect may be attributable to additional loci during word production lexicon. Apparently, PHS diminish Stroop effects by enhancing proactive executive control over lexico-semantic conflicts. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Modulation of auditory-vocal feedback control due to planned changes in voice fo

Previous studies have demonstrated that voice fundamental frequency (fo), or pitch, relies on auditory feedback to monitor and correct for errors in production. When voice-pitch auditory feedback is unexpectedly perturbed, individuals typically produce a compensatory change in fo that opposes the direction of the pitch-perturbation. Studies comparing steady vowel vocalizations and speech tasks have demonstrated task-dependent modulation of the compensatory response, but the effects of planning to volitionally change fo during active vocalization have yet to be explored. Ten musicians and ten non-musicians were asked to perform two vocal tasks. Both tasks started off at a conversational fo. In one task, pitch-shifted feedback was presented when the participants were planning to hold fo constant (steady fo), and in the other, feedback was shifted while participants were in the planning stage prior to raising fo (raised fo) from a steady state. Acoustical analyses of fo were performed to measure the peak magnitude and latency of both the compensatory response as well as the voluntary fo change. Results showed that planning to change pitch modulates the mechanisms controlling feedback-based error correction of fo, and musicality affects how individuals incorporate modulations in auditory feedback with the feedforward plans to increase voice fo.

Differences in the transversus abdominis thickness during various motor tasks in the supine position.

[Purpose] The aim of this study was to evaluate simple and efficient transversus abdominis exercises performed in the supine position using ultrasonography. [Participants and Methods] Sixteen healthy males performed six motor tasks including left shoulder flexion, draw-in, left straight leg raise, and the vocalization of vowel sounds (55–60 dB, 65–70 dB, and 75–80 dB), in a random order while in the supine position. The thicknesses of the transversus abdominis, internal oblique, and external oblique were measured using ultrasonography. [Results] There was a significant increase in the transversus abdominis thickness during the draw-in and vocalization tasks than during other tasks. With respect to draw-in and the three vowel sound volumes, there was a significant difference between draw-in and the 65–70 dB sound. However, there was no significant difference in the transversus abdominis thickness between draw-in and the three vocalization tasks. [Conclusion] These results suggest that the vocalization of vowel sounds is an effective and easy way to exercise the transversus abdominis for patients experiencing difficulty in performing draw-in exercises.

Spectral envelope consistency singing diatonic scales with different dynamics contours

This study was motivated by the frequently expressed opinion that in the classical style of singing one of the main objectives is the evenness of the voice over wide pitch and dynamic ranges. With an empirical experiment, we aimed to discover whether and how the acoustical parameters related to voice timbre change when professional male vocalists fulfil vocal tasks with changing pitch and dynamics. We asked 11 participants to produce one-octave D-major ascending diatonic scales in three different ways: (1) with their habitual dynamics, (2) with sempre crescendo, and (3) with sempre diminuendo. The values of the corresponding parameters varied systematically in the case of all the singers tested. Some of these changes occurred for purely acoustical reasons that are unrelated to the vocal technique of the singer. Several singers used vocal strategies whose purpose appeared to be the improvement of the perceived evenness of the voice. One such technique was the creation of a difference between the piano and forte dynamics primarily by changing the voice timbre without varying the sound level significantly. An alternative strategy was varying the sound level while minimizing the variation in the level of the singer’s formant (which is related to the brightness and carrying power of the voice).

Active and dormant languages in the multilingual mental lexicon

ABSTRACTTwo experimental paradigms, a picture-naming task and a Stroop interference task, were employed to address the structure of the multilingual mental lexicon; more specifically, the process of multilingual non-selective lexical access. German-English-French speakers named objects in their native and most dominant language in a task that included a manipulation of triple (Wein, wine, vin) and double cognates (Beere, berry or Zitrone, citron). The vocal Stroop task was administered in both within- and between-language conditions to explore the interference patterns between the languages. In general, it was hypothesised that differing levels of language proficiency will play an integral role in the observed results. The speech onset times were measured for both tasks and pointed to complex interaction patterns. German and English were seen as the most active and prone to interference systems, whilst French appeared more as a dormant language that does not exert much influence on the other two systems.

Backward crosstalk and the role of dimensional overlap within and between tasks

In dual-task situations, which often involve some form of sequential task processing, features of Task 2 were shown to affect Task 1 performance, a phenomenon termed “backward crosstalk effect” (BCE). Most previous reports of BCEs are based on manipulations of code compatibility between tasks, while there is no clear picture whether and how mere Task 2 response selection difficulty (in the absence of cross-task dimensional code overlap, including effector system overlap) may also affect Task 1 performance. In the present study, we systematically manipulated response-response (R1-R2) relation (compatible, incompatible, arbitrary) and the stimulus-response (S-R) relation in Task 2 (S2-R2: compatible, incompatible, arbitrary; i.e., a classic manipulation of Task 2 response selection difficulty) to study the impact of dimensional overlap and compatibility within and across tasks using an integrated stimulus for both a vocal Task 1 and a manual Task 2. Results revealed a replication of a classic (spatial) R1-R2 compatibility BCE (based on code compatibility), demonstrating that our paradigm is principally suited to capture typical BCEs. Importantly, conditions involving a removal of dimensional code overlap between tasks still yielded an effect of mere Task 2 response selection difficulty on Task 1 performance. Both types of BCEs (i.e., BCEs based on code compatibility and BCEs based on Task 2 difficulty) could be assumed to be rooted in anticipation of response selection difficulty triggered by stimuli indicating either R1-R2 or S2-R2 incompatibility. The results are in line with recent theoretical claims that anticipations of response characteristics (or effects) play an important role for BCEs in particular and for conflict resolution in action control in general.

Measuring vocal motor skill with a virtual voice-controlled slingshot.

Successful voice training (e.g., singing lessons) and vocal rehabilitation (e.g., therapy for a voice disorder) involve learning complex, vocal behaviors. However, there are no metrics describing how humans learn new vocal skills or predicting how long the improved behavior will persist post-therapy. To develop measures capable of describing and predicting vocal motor learning, a theory-based paradigm from limb motor control inspired the development of a virtual task where subjects throw projectiles at a target via modifications in vocal pitch and loudness. Ten subjects with healthy voices practiced this complex vocal task for five days. The many-to-one mapping between the execution variables pitch and loudness and resulting target error was evaluated using an analysis that quantified distributional properties of variability: Tolerance, noise, covariation costs (TNC costs). Lag-1 autocorrelation (AC1) and detrended-fluctuation-analysis scaling index (SCI) analyzed temporal aspects of variability. Vocal data replicated limb-based findings: TNC costs were positively correlated with error; AC1 and SCI were modulated in relation to the task's solution manifold. The data suggests that vocal and limb motor learning are similar in how the learner navigates the solution space. Future work calls for investigating the game's potential to improve voice disorder diagnosis and treatment.

Speech and Voice Response to a Levodopa Challenge in Late-Stage Parkinson's Disease.

Parkinson's disease (PD) patients are affected by hypokinetic dysarthria, characterized by hypophonia and dysprosody, which worsens with disease progression. Levodopa's (l-dopa) effect on quality of speech is inconclusive; no data are currently available for late-stage PD (LSPD). To assess the modifications of speech and voice in LSPD following an acute l-dopa challenge. LSPD patients [Schwab and England score <50/Hoehn and Yahr stage >3 (MED ON)] performed several vocal tasks before and after an acute l-dopa challenge. The following was assessed: respiratory support for speech, voice quality, stability and variability, speech rate, and motor performance (MDS-UPDRS-III). All voice samples were recorded and analyzed by a speech and language therapist blinded to patients' therapeutic condition using Praat 5.1 software. 24/27 (14 men) LSPD patients succeeded in performing voice tasks. Median age and disease duration of patients were 79 [IQR: 71.5-81.7] and 14.5 [IQR: 11-15.7] years, respectively. In MED OFF, respiratory breath support and pitch break time of LSPD patients were worse than the normative values of non-parkinsonian. A correlation was found between disease duration and voice quality (R = 0.51; p = 0.013) and speech rate (R = -0.55; p = 0.008). l-Dopa significantly improved MDS-UPDRS-III score (20%), with no effect on speech as assessed by clinical rating scales and automated analysis. Speech is severely affected in LSPD. Although l-dopa had some effect on motor performance, including axial signs, speech and voice did not improve. The applicability and efficacy of non-pharmacological treatment for speech impairment should be considered for speech disorder management in PD.

Development and Testing of a Device to Increase the Level of Automation of a Conventional Milking Parlor through Vocal Commands

A portable wireless device with a “vocal commands” feature for activating the mechanical milking phase in conventional milking parlors was developed and tested to increase the level of automation in the milking procedures. The device was tested in the laboratory and in a milking parlor. Four professional milkers participated in the experiment. Before the start of the tests, a set of acoustic models with speaker-dependent commands defined for the project was acquired for each milker using a dedicated “milker training procedure”. Two experimental sessions were performed by each milker, with one session in the laboratory and a subsequent session in the milking parlor. The device performance was evaluated based on the accuracy demonstrated in the vocal command recognition task and rated using the word recognition rate (WRR). The data were expressed as %WRR and grouped based on the different cases evaluated. Mixed effects logistic regression modeling was used to evaluate the association between the %WRR and explanatory variables. The results indicated significant effects due to the location where the tests were performed. Higher values of the %WRR were found for tests performed in the laboratory, whereas lower values were found for tests performed in the milking parlor (due to the presence of background noise). Nevertheless, the general performance level achieved by the device was sufficient for increasing the automation level of conventional milking parlors.

Three-dimensional Vocal Tract Morphology Based on Multiple Magnetic Resonance Images Is Highly Reproducible During Sustained Phonation

The extraction of a three-dimensional (3D) morphology of the human vocal tract (VT) from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) during sustained phonation can be used for various analyses like numerical simulations or creating physical models. The precision of visualizing techniques nowadays allows for very targeted acoustical simulation evaluating the influence of subsections of the VT for the transfer function. The aim of the study was to assess the accuracy of the 3D geometry based on MRI data in repetitive trials. This is a prospective study. Four experienced singers underwent an MRI while repeating a specific vocal task 20 times consecutively. Audio recordings were made by means of an optical microphone. Images were restacked and subsections of the VT were segmented on multi-image-based cross sections using a semiautomatic algorithm. Different volume and area measures were evaluated. A high reproducibility of the morphologic data based on multiple images by means of the applied segmentation method could be shown with an overall variation of around 8%. 3D modeling of the VT during sustained phonation involves a complex experimental setting and elaborate image processing techniques. Functional comparative analysis or acoustical simulations based on such data should take the found variability into account.

Protective Effect of Astaxanthin on Vocal Fold Injury and Inflammation Due to Vocal Loading: A Clinical Trial

Professional voice users, such as singers and teachers, are at greater risk of developing vocal fold injury from excessive use of voice; thus, protection of the vocal fold is essential. One of the most important factors that aggravates injury is the production of reactive oxygen species at the wound site. The purpose of the current study was to assess the effect of astaxanthin, a strong antioxidant, on the protection of the vocal fold from injury and inflammation due to vocal loading. This study is an institutional review board-approved human clinical trial. Ten male subjects underwent a 60-minute vocal loading session and received vocal assessments prior to, immediately after, and 30 minutes postvocal loading (AST(-) status). All subjects were then prescribed 24 mg/day of astaxanthin for 28 days, after which they received the same vocal task and assessments (AST(+) status). Phonatory parameters were compared between both groups. Aerodynamic assessment, acoustic analysis, and GRBAS scale (grade, roughness, breathiness, asthenia, and strain) were significantly worse in the AST(-) status immediately after vocal loading, but improved by 30 minutes after loading. In contrast, none of the phonatory parameters in the AST(+) status were statistically worse, even when measured immediately after vocal loading. No allergic responses or adverse effects were observed after administration of astaxanthin. The current results suggest that astaxanthin can protect the vocal fold from injury and inflammation caused by vocal loading possibly through the regulation of oxidative stress.

Metabolic Mechanisms of Vocal Fatigue

This study aimed to identify potential metabolic mechanisms including (1) neuromuscular inefficiency, (2) cardiovascular recovery deficits, or (3) both, in individuals with complaints of vocal fatigue. Within- and between-subjects group design was used in this study. Three groups of women participated in the study, including (1) individuals with complaints of vocal fatigue; (2) vocally healthy sedentary individuals; and (3) vocally healthy, cardiovascularly conditioned individuals. Group assignment was based on results from the Vocal Fatigue Index, laryngeal examination, and self-report regarding exercise regimens. Metabolic profiles were obtained using gas exchange measures monitored during vocal task performance (reading) at two different loudness levels, and during recovery from reading. Statistical analyses did not reveal reliable group differences in metabolic cost for or recovery from vocal tasks. However, descriptive review of oxygen uptake and recovery kinetics revealed patterns indicating reliance on differential energy resources for the vocal task in individuals with vocal fatigue compared with cardiovascularly trained, vocally healthy individuals in particular. Slow oxygen uptake kinetics at task onset was a characteristic of the vocal fatigue group, indicating a general reliance on anaerobic resources to meet the demands of the vocal task, pointing to possible neuromuscular inefficiency. Individuals with vocal fatigue also demonstrated an increase in oxygen consumption following vocal task compared with cardiovascularly trained individuals, suggesting possible cardiovascular recovery deficits. This study provides initial data relevant to possible metabolic mechanisms of vocal fatigue and the potential relevance of aerobic conditioning in individuals with such fatigue.

Influence of attention on bimodal integration during emotional change decoding: ERP evidence

Recent findings on audiovisual emotional interactions suggest that selective attention affects cross-sensory interaction from an early processing stage. However, the influence of attention manipulation on facial-vocal integration during emotional change perception is still elusive at this point. To address this issue, we asked participants to detect emotional changes conveyed by prosodies (vocal task) or facial expressions (facial task) while facial, vocal, and facial-vocal expressions were presented. At the same time, behavioral responses and electroencephalogram (EEG) were recorded. Behavioral results showed that bimodal emotional changes were detected with shorter response latencies compared to each unimodal condition, suggesting that bimodal emotional cues facilitated emotional change detection. Moreover, while the P3 amplitudes were larger for the bimodal change condition than for the sum of the two unimodal conditions regardless of attention direction, the N1 amplitudes were larger for the bimodal emotional change condition than for the sum of the two unimodal conditions under the attend-voice condition, but not under the attend-face condition. These findings suggest that selective attention modulates facial-vocal integration during emotional change perception in early sensory processing, but not in late cognitive processing stages.

Recognition of emotional prosody in anorexia nervosa

Deficits in emotional processes are often observed by clinicians in anorexia nervosa and may have an impact on social functioning. Recognition of emotion was mostly investigated using visual stimuli as faces of emotional scenes. Only one study (Kucharska-Pietura et al., 2004) demonstrated impairments in emotional prosody using positive and negative valenced stimuli. However, this study did not provide a highlight for the identification of emotional bias (for example, to recognize an intense fear in a friendly voice). The aim of this study is to better understand the recognition of emotional prosody in anorexia nervosa using a wide range of positive, negative and neutral stimuli (Belin et al., 2008).In order to test emotion recognition biases in emotional prosody, we exposed 15 patients with anorexia nervosa and 15 healthy controls (HCs) to emotional vocal tasks asking them to rate emotional intensity on visual analog scales. In addition, we assessed clinical symptomatology and cognitive functioning for all participants.We showed that patients with anorexia nervosa provided higher intensity ratings on the non-target scales (e.g., surprise scale for fear stimuli) than HCs for sadness, fear and neutral voices. Furthermore, with the exception of neutral vocal stimuli, they provided the same intensity ratings on the target scales as the HCs.These findings suggested a bias in the processing of emotional prosody and may impact the social functioning of patients with anorexia nervosa. The bias may result from a sensorial deficit or a high-order cognitive dysfunction and have to be investigated in future studies.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.