THE EFFECTS OF TASK-INDUCED STRESS ON SPEECH
Abstract
In order to induce stress in an experimental subject, a task involving the addition of numbers under time pressure was developed. The subject was required to read six meters and to announce the sum of his readings, together with a test word. By controlling the duration of the meter display, the experimenter could vary the level of stress induced in the subject. For each of ten subjects, numerous verbal responses were obtained while the subject was under stress and while he was relaxed. Contrasting responses containing the same test word were assembled into paired-comparison listening tests. Listeners could identify the stressful responses of some subjects with better than 90 percent accuracy and of others only at chance level. The test words from contrasting responses were analyzed with respect to level and fundamental frequency, and spectrograms of these test words were examined. The results indicate that stress can produce a number of characteristic changes in the acoustic speech signal. Most of these changes are attributable to modifications in the amplitude, frequency, and detailed waveform of the glottal pulses. Other changes result from differences in articulation. Although the manifestations of stress varied considerably from subject to subject, the test words of most subjects exhibited some consistent effects.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 25, 1967
- Accession Number
- AD0660595
Entities
People
- Carl E. Williams
- Gottfried Von Bismarck
- Kenneth N. Stevens
- Michael H. Hecker
Organizations
- BBN Technologies