Voice Literature Research Articles

Non-union employee representation, union avoidance and the managerial agenda

Non-union employee representation is an area which has attracted much interest in the voice literature. Much of the literature has been shaped by a dialogue which considers NERs as a means of union avoidance. More recently however scholars have suggested that for NERs to work in such contexts, they may need to be imbued with a higher set of functionalities to remain viable entities. Using a critical case study of a union recognition drive and managerial response in the form of an NER, this article contributes to a more nuanced interpretation of the literature dialogue than hitherto exists. A core component of the findings directly challenge existing interpretations within the field; namely that NERs are shaped by a paradox of managerial action. It is argued that the NER failed to satisfy for employees because of a structural remit, rather than through any paradox in managerial intent.

Quality of the Voice Literature: What is There and What is Missing

The purpose of this article is to describe both the strengths and weaknesses of the medical voice literature. Retrospective review of the voice literature with comparisons to key articles in the general medical literature. There are strengths in the voice literature with increasing focus on levels of evidence. Areas of deficit are: publishing negative studies, publishing risk-benefit assessment, well-structured accurate abstracts, studies in children, voice function in laryngeal stenosis and in laryngeal cancer, clinical implications of basic science voice research, worldwide diversity, appropriate advertising, humor, and thoughtful letters to the editor. There are areas that appear to be excessive: self-citations and redundant case series. There are great opportunities to publish in the medical voice literature. Careful consideration of the quality of the work and the value of the potential addition to the literature should be considered before publishing.

Levels of Evidence in the Voice Literature

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the levels of evidence in the voice literature. Retrospective literature review. Retrospective review of all original articles published between January 2004 and December 2009 from four general otolaryngology journals and one subspecialty voice journal. All abstracts related to voice were evaluated and rated as to evidence-based medicine rating, graded levels A-D and 1a-5. Articles were also stratified by time over two consecutive 3-year intervals to assess changes over the time period. Of the 6052 articles published, 950 (15.6%) were related to voice. Six hundred seventy-three articles (10.2%) were clinical articles, and 277 (4.6%) were basic science. Only 1% of the clinical articles were level A, 17% were level B, 73% were level C, and 9% were level D. No noticeable changes occurred in the levels of evidence over the interval of the first 3 years of the study in comparison to the last 3 years, although there was an increase in the number of basic science articles from 24.4% to 32.4%. Despite strong recent interest in improving the quality of the evidence in the literature, the voice literature remains primarily level C and D with no appreciable change over the past 6 years.

Commentary on Why Laryngeal Stroboscopy Really Works: Clarifying Misconceptions Surrounding Talbot’s Law and the Persistence of Vision

Purpose The purpose of this article is to clear up misconceptions that have propagated in the clinical voice literature that inappropriately cite Talbot’s law (1834) and the theory of persistence of vision as the scientific principles that underlie laryngeal stroboscopy. Method After initial research into Talbot’s (1834) original studies, it became clear that his experiments were not designed to explain why stroboscopy works. Subsequently, a comprehensive literature search was conducted for the purpose of investigating the general principles of stroboscopic imaging from primary sources. Results Talbot made no reference to stroboscopy in designing his experiments, and the notion of persistence of vision is not applicable to stroboscopic motion. Instead, two visual phenomena play critical roles: (a) the flicker-free perception of light and (b) the perception of apparent motion. In addition, the integration of stroboscopy with video-based technology in today’s voice clinic requires additional complexities to include synchronization with camera frame rates. Conclusions References to Talbot’s law and the persistence of vision are not relevant to the generation of stroboscopic images. The critical visual phenomena are the flicker-free perception of light intensity and the perception of apparent motion from sampled images. A complete understanding of how laryngeal stroboscopy works will aid in better interpreting clinical findings during voice assessment.

Guidelines for Selecting Microphones for Human Voice Production Research

This tutorial addresses fundamental characteristics of microphones (frequency response, frequency range, dynamic range, and directionality), which are important for accurate measurements of voice and speech. Technical and voice literature was reviewed and analyzed. The following recommendations on desirable microphone characteristics were formulated: The frequency response of microphones should be flat (i.e., variation of less than 2 dB) within the frequency range between the lowest expected fundamental frequency of voice and the highest spectral component of interest. The equivalent noise level of the microphones is recommended to be at least 15 dB lower than the sound level of the softest phonations. The upper limit of the dynamic range of the microphone should be above the sound level of the loudest phonations. Directional microphones should be placed at the distance that corresponds to their maximally flat frequency response, to avoid the proximity effect; otherwise, they will be unsuitable for spectral and level measurements. Numerical values for these recommendations were derived for the microphone distances of 30 cm and 5 cm. The recommendations, while preliminary and in need of further numerical justification, should provide the basis for better accuracy and repeatability of studies on voice and speech production in the future.

Perceived organizational support for safety and employee safety voice: The mediating role of coworker support for safety.

In the present study, we modeled 2 sources of safety support (perceived organizational support for safety and perceived coworker support for safety) as predictors of employee safety voice, that is, speaking out in an attempt to change unsafe working conditions. Drawing on social exchange and social impact theories, we hypothesized and tested a mediated model predicting employee safety voice using a cross-sectional survey of urban bus drivers (n = 213) in the United Kingdom. Hierarchical regression analysis showed that perceived coworker support for safety fully mediated the relationship between perceived organizational support for safety and employee safety voice. This study adds to the employee voice literature by evaluating the important role that coworkers can play in encouraging others to speak out about safety issues. Implications for research and practice related to change-oriented safety communication are discussed.

Organizational Surveys: A System for Employee Voice

Although surveys are often used to assess and track employee attitudes and opinions over time and are used quite frequently by applied communication researchers, the use of surveys as a channel to voice employee attitudes and opinions has not been fully explored in the employee voice or basic organizational communication literature. With the increased call for accountability, effective applied communication researchers can play an important role in ensuring that organizations engage in the survey process in a manner that is “safe” for employees, and ethical and practical for the organization. Because the question of how to accomplish this task is complex and cannot be fully addressed within the constraints of a commentary, I offer three general principles to guide future researchers in helping overcome organizational communication problems: 1. Build trust in the organizational survey process, the researcher(s), and the organization. 2. Eliminate the adversarial relationship that often exists between management and employees who speak up. 3. Provide evidence that the organization does more than purport to value the things that it says it values.

An Update on Voice Research in the United States

An Update on Voice Research in the United States

Vocal Integrity of Elementary Vocal Music Teachers: Personal and Environmental Factors

Voice and music education literature describe vocal stresses associated with vocal music teaching that may jeopardize vocal integrity. The purpose of this investigation was to systematically examine the predictive ability of three factors associated with professional voice use in elementary vocal music teaching to predict scores on a self-rated index of vocal integrity (Voice Conservation Index). Factors were: (a) percentage of life span spent in teaching, (b) a teaching schedule factor, and (c) specific dosimetric measures of classroom noise. Regression analysis results showed a significant relationship between maximum classroom noise level and VCI pathology scores. Recorded maximum noise levels as high as 117 dBA with an average maximum level of 106.1 dBA across all teachers suggest the need for systematic assessment of noise in teaching environments. Given the demonstrated relation of noise level to teachers' perceptions of their vocal health, results also suggest the need for in-service training regarding their vocal use habits and teaching strategies for noisy environments.

A demographic description of laryngeal contact ulcer patients

<h2>Summary</h2> The voice literature suggests that the "typical" person with contact ulcer of the larynx is a 40–60-year-old man in a vocally demanding occupation who uses a loud, low-pitched voice with a long history of excessive smoking and drinking. A review of 57 contact ulcer case histories revealed that in contrast 21% were female, 44% were younger than 40 or older than 59, 47% were in low-to-average vocal demand occupations, and the incidence of smoking and drinking did not exceed what would be expected in the general population. The findings suggest that contact ulcer patients are similar to patients with other disorders of laryngeal hyperfunction. Voice therapy, pharyngolaryngeal reflux therapy, and surgical removal of granulomas were the most frequently recommended treatments.

Vocal jitter at different fundamental frequencies: A cardiovascular-neuromuscular explanation

<h2>Summary</h2> As a widely used descriptor of phonatory behavior, vocal fundamental frequency perturbation (jitter) has received much attention in the recent voice literature. Despite this, the exact causes of this cycle-to-cycle frequency variability are only poorly understood. Associated with attempts to characterize this vocal parameter and to standardize its measurement, many investigators have alluded to a relationship between jitter magnitude and the fundamental frequency of phonation without mention of the underlying physiology. This article reviews two jitter-inducing mechanisms (one based on normal cardiovascular function and the other on normal neuromuscular function) and describes how they help to explain the observed nonlinear dependence of short-term frequency variability on the frequency of phonation in the normal voice.