The Effects of Emotions on Voice Quality

Two studies are presented, in which emotional vocal recordings were made using a computer emotion induction task and an imagination technique. Concurrent recordings were made of a variety of physiological parameters, including electroglottograph, respiration, electrocardiogram, and surface electromyogram (muscle tension). Acoustic parameters pertaining to voice quality, including F0 floor, F0 range, jitter and spectral energy distribution were analysed and compared to the physiological parameters. The range of parameters was also statistically compared across different emotions. Although methodological problems still hamper such research, the combined analysis of physiological and acoustic parameters across emotional speaker states promises a clearer interpretation of the effects of emotion on voice quality.