Visual-Spatial Influences on Vocal Intensity: Effects of Speaker-to-Listener Distance and Room Size in Immersive Virtual Reality.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of speaker-tolistener distance versus room size on individuals' voice perception and production using immersive virtual reality (IVR). Method: Fifteen vocally healthy participants completed three speaking tasks: sustained vowel/a/, the...

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Publicado en:Journal of Speech, Language & Hearing Research Vol. 69; no. 8; pp. 3670 - 3679
Autores principales: Daşdöğen, Ümit, Hitchcock, Joseph, Ahn, Seungjun, Ng, Bailee Brooke, Verdolini-Abbottc, Katherine
Formato: Artículo
Publicado: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Aug2026
Materias:
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
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      dt: Aug2026
      vid: 69
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      pub: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
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        10.1044/2026_JSLHR-25-00798
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        atl: Visual-Spatial Influences on Vocal Intensity: Effects of Speaker-to-Listener Distance and Room Size in Immersive Virtual Reality.
      aug:
        au:
          Daşdöğen, Ümit
          Hitchcock, Joseph
          Ahn, Seungjun
          Ng, Bailee Brooke
          Verdolini-Abbottc, Katherine
        affil:
          Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York
          Department of Population Health Science and Policy, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York
          Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders and Department of Linguistics and Cognitive Science, University of Delaware, Newark
      su:
        New York (State)
        Task performance
        Virtual reality
        Repeated measures design
        Academic medical centers
        Data analysis
        Research funding
        Descriptive statistics
        Avatars (Virtual reality)
        Statistics
        Speech perception
        Visual perception
        Space perception
        Auditory perception
        Data analysis software
      sug:
        subj:
          Task performance
          Virtual reality
          New York (State)
          Repeated measures design
          Academic medical centers
          Data analysis
          Research funding
          Descriptive statistics
          Avatars (Virtual reality)
          Statistics
          Speech perception
          Visual perception
          Space perception
          Auditory perception
          Data analysis software
      ab: Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of speaker-tolistener distance versus room size on individuals' voice perception and production using immersive virtual reality (IVR). Method: Fifteen vocally healthy participants completed three speaking tasks: sustained vowel/a/, the standardized phrase "We were away a year ago," and spontaneous connected speech in nine randomly ordered IVR conditions. Conditions varied in room size, speaker-to-listener distance, and combinations of room size × speaker-to-listener distance. Auditory feedback remained constant across all trials to isolate the effects of visual input. Voice recordings were collected for subsequent analysis of sound pressure level (SPL) measurements for each condition and speaking task. Results: SPL varied significantly as a function of speaker-to-listener distance, with farther listener distances associated with greater vocal intensity. Also, room size showed a significant effect, and a significant Room Size × Speaker-to-Listener Distance interaction indicated that the magnitude of the distance effect differed across room size. Overall, the pattern of findings suggested that listener distance cues were the primary driver of SPL modulation, with room size modulating the magnitude of these distance-related adjustments. Conclusions: This study demonstrates the importance of visual input in vocal regulation, with speaker-to-listener distance emerging as the primary factor influencing vocal intensity and room size serving as a moderating variable. These results carry important implications for voice training and therapy, emphasizing the need to integrate ecologically valid visual contexts--such as IVR environments that manipulate listener distance--to foster functional voice use and promote generalization beyond the clinical setting.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype: Article
      src: R
    language: English
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