Reliability, stability, and sensitivity to change and impairment in acoustic measures of timing and frequency

Abstract

Assessment of the voice for supporting classifications of central nervous system (CNS) impairment requires a different practical, methodological, and statistical framework compared with assessment of the voice to guide decisions about change in the CNS. In experimental terms, an understanding of the stability and sensitivity to change of an assessment protocol is required to guide decisions about CNS change. Five experiments (N=70) were conducted using a set of commonly used stimuli (eg, sustained vowel, reading, extemporaneous speech) and easily acquired measures (eg, f0–f4, percent pause). Stability of these measures was examined through their repeated application in healthy adults over br..