The effect of perceptual training on ability to use the Vocal Profile Analysis Scheme

The Vocal Profile Analysis Scheme (VPAS) (Laver et al. 1981) is the vocal perceptual scheme most often used by British speech and language therapists. In this study, the voices of four speakers with normal voices and four with a voice disorder were recorded in reading and independently rated on the VPAS protocol by Dr Sheila Wirz and by the author. Inter-judge reliability was established and agreement reached in judging the twenty vocal quality features for each speaker. Thirty eight speech and language therapists were assessed on their ability to describe the voices. Significant improvement was found in the ability to rate features. These findings suggest that the use of a perceptual scheme can be a reliable part of voice assessment in both therapy and research.