The INFVo perceptual rating scale for substitution voicing: development and reliability

Area of Science:

• Speech-language pathology
• Acoustic analysis
• Perceptual voice assessment

Background:

• Perceptual evaluation scales are crucial for assessing voice disorders.
• Existing scales may have limitations in consistency and multidimensionality.
• Substitution voicing requires reliable assessment tools.

Purpose of the Study:

• To experimentally evaluate the inter-judge consistency of the novel IINFVo rating scale.
• To assess the reliability of the IINFVo scale across different rater expertise levels.
• To compare the IINFVo scale's consistency with traditional scales like GRBAS.

Main Methods:

• The IINFVo scale, measuring impression, intelligibility, noise, fluency, and voicing, was applied by semi-professional and professional raters.
• Inter-judge consistency was quantified using Pearson correlation coefficients.
• Data were analyzed to compare consistency levels between rater groups.

Main Results:

• Semi-professional raters showed moderate to good consistency (0.57-0.68).
• Professional raters demonstrated good to excellent consistency (0.82-0.87).
• Consistency figures for professionals favorably compared to those of the GRBAS scale.

Conclusions:

• The IINFVo rating scale exhibits strong potential for reliable perceptual assessment of substitution voicing.
• A modified approach, averaging impression and intelligibility scores, is suggested for enhanced usability.
• The IINFVo scale could be integrated into multidimensional voice assessment protocols.