Speaker
Description
Real-time auditory feedback modulation (AFM) alters how speakers perceive their own voice during speech, enabling the study of vocal motor control. This multiple-case study specifically examines how auditory feedback with artificially increased hoarseness (i.e., hoarseness-induced feedback) affects acoustic voice quality in healthy speakers, relative to two control conditions: unaltered headphone feedback and no headphones. Eleven participants completed a total of three sustained-vowel production sessions – one per condition (AFM and controls). Acoustic voice quality was assessed using smoothed cepstral peak prominence (CPPS). Results show that hoarseness-induced AFM elicited a small but significant improvement in voice quality. In the control conditions, voice quality slightly declined with unaltered headphone feedback over the course of the task, while it improved without headphones. These patterns were closely linked to changes in voice intensity, with higher RMS values associated with higher CPPS. Overall, our findings indicate that hoarseness-induced AFM may enhance acoustic voice quality and suggest that including no-headphone controls may provide a more thorough picture of factors influencing vocal motor control.