Measuring the rate of change of voice fundamental frequency in fluent speech during mental depression

• A method of measuring the rate of change of fundamental frequency has been developed in an effort to find acoustic voice parameters that could be useful in psychiatric research. A minicomputer program was used to extract seven parameters from the fundamental frequency contour of tape‐recorded speech samples: (1) the average rate of change of the fundamental frequency and (2) its standard deviation, (3) the absolute rate of fundamental frequency change, (4) the total reading time, (5) the percent pause time of the total reading time, (6) the mean, and (7) the standard deviation of the fundamental frequency distribution. The method is demonstrated on (a) a material consisting of synthetic speech and (b) voice recordings of depressed patients who were examined during depression and after improvement.

Subject headings

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Klinisk medicin -- Psykiatri (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Clinical Medicine -- Psychiatry (hsv//eng)

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Psykologi -- Tillämpad psykologi (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Psychology -- Applied Psychology (hsv//eng)

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Medicinsk bioteknologi -- Annan medicinsk bioteknologi (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Medical Biotechnology -- Other Medical Biotechnology (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Speech and Music Communication

Tal- och musikkommunikation

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)