EGG open quotient in aging voices--changes with increasing chronological age and its perception

Area of Science:

• Speech science
• Acoustic phonetics
• Gerontology

Background:

• Previous research shows conflicting results on age-related changes in vocal open quotient (OQ) for males and females.
• Laryngeal changes with age may affect voice quality differently across genders.
• Long-term average spectra (LTAS) suggest increased spectral amplitudes in elderly voices, potentially indicating higher OQ.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate age-related changes in electroglottographic (EGG) open quotient (OQ) in male and female speakers.
• To examine the relationship between EGG OQ and the perceived age of a speaker.
• To analyze OQ in sustained vowels, isolated words, and read speech.

Main Methods:

• Measured EGG OQ in young (18-30) and elderly (60-82) male and female speakers.
• Analyzed OQ in sustained vowels, vowels from isolated words, and read speech.
• Conducted a perception test where listeners estimated speaker age from sustained /a/-vowels produced with varying vocal effort.

Main Results:

• The previously reported decrease in OQ for elderly females was not observed in sustained vowels.
• Elderly male speakers showed an increased EGG OQ compared to younger males in sustained vowels and unstressed syllables.
• A strong positive correlation was found between perceived age and EGG OQ in male vowel stimuli.

Conclusions:

• Male voices may become breathier with age, particularly in unstressed speech.
• Increased breathiness, indicated by higher EGG OQ, may contribute to the perception of older age in male speakers.
• Age-related vocal changes, specifically breathiness, are more consistently observed in males than females in this study.