Voice pitch: The relation between perceptual pitch-matching judgments and acoustic measurements

The purpose of the current investigation is to explore the relation between perceptual judgment and acoustic measurement in the assessment of voice pitch. Voice pitch assessment, has historically been conducted by matching voice pitch to a note on a musical scale. Acoustic measurement of voice pitch has been achieved via electronically calculated algorithms that produce a measure of fundamental frequency. Theoretically, either measure should achieve the same results. This investigation observes this relation within the context of typical clinical voice pitch assessment methodology.; The repeated measurement design was used to observe the variation in fundamental frequency (Hz) between perceptual judgment and acoustic measurement procedures. A single group of 50 participants were undergraduate speech-language pathology majors who listened to digitally tape recorded stimuli in two experimental conditions. In the perceptual judgment condition, each participant matched the voice pitch of /a/ to a note on an electronic keyboard, and during reading of the passage, matched the voice pitch of selected words to a note on the keyboard for later calculation of habitual pitch. In the acoustic measurement condition, the identical stimuli was manipulated in the CSL-Pitch Program via manual cursor, to arrive at the male, female, and child highest and lowest fundamental frequencies, and speaking fundamental frequencies. The semitones resulting from both assessment conditions were compared via two statistical procedures.; The correlational analysis yields no statistical significance between perceptual judgment and acoustic measurement in either highest pitch, lowest pitch, or habitual pitch in any of the male, female, or child voices. Three two-way repeated measures analysis of variance procedures reveal interaction effects between perceptual judgment and acoustic measurement in the female and child voices for lowest pitch and habitual pitch. Perceptual judgment of voices compares more closely with normative data, with acoustic measurement data rated higher than norms. Internal validity of this investigation is compromised by questionable instrument reliability. Clinically, the expectation that perceptual judgment and acoustic measurement will yield the same results should not be expected, relative to methodology. The clinical choice between the two voice pitch assessment procedures should be made based upon individual reliable proven performance with either task.