Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 5, 2026
A Rapidly Incremented Tethered-Swimming Maximal Protocol for Cardiorespiratory Assessment of Swimmers
Published on: January 28, 2020
The Perception of Benefit of Vocalization on Sport Performance When Producing Maximum Effort
Kelly M Davis1, Mary J Sandage1, Laura Plexico1
1Department of Communication Disorders, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama.
Objectives/Hypothesis:
The purpose of this study was to describe athlete belief of performance benefit when using voice during force production tasks and to determine if vocalization during effortful tasks was correlated to perception of voice impairment. The hypotheses were as follows: (1) there is a belief among athletes that voicing during high-effort tasks improves performance and (2) the use of the voice during high-effort tasks is correlated with the perception of voice impairment.
Study Design:
An anonymous, online survey was used to query presence and timing of voicing during force production. The Voice Handicap Index-10 and a visual analog scale for perceived phonatory effort were included in the survey.
Methods:
The data obtained from the survey were evaluated using descriptive statistics and analysis of variance. Correlation coefficients were calculated to determine if there was a relationship between voice production and the perception of voice disorder.
Results:
Three hundred seventy-eight participants' survey responses were used in the data analyses. The results indicated that 56% of the participating athletes indicated belief that the production of voice during maximum effort provided a performance advantage. There was no correlation between individuals who used voice during force production and the perception of voice impairment.
Conclusions:
Findings indicated that most athletes believe that producing voice during maximum effort improves performance without a perception of voice impairment. Further research should be completed to objectively measure force production in both grunt and nongrunt trials concurrently with measures of vocal function.
Related Concept Videos
01:04Social Facilitation
01:17Exercise and Cardiac Output
Sustained exercise increases the muscles' oxygen demand, which can be...
01:27Exercise and Muscle Performance
Endurance exercises
Endurance exercises involve running, swimming, or cycling, which require repetitive movements with low force output. When a person engages in endurance exercise, a few noticeable changes occur in their skeletal muscles. For instance, the number of capillaries...
01:24Respiratory Capacities
One key metric is the Inspiratory Capacity (IC), which represents the maximum amount of air that can be inhaled with full effort. IC is calculated by summing the tidal volume and inspiratory reserve volume, typically ranging from 2.4 to 3.6 liters.
The Functional Residual Capacity (FRC) represents the air in the...
01:21Larynx
Anatomy of the Larynx
The larynx consists of various components, including cartilage, muscles, and vocal cords. Its structure includes three large unpaired cartilages—the thyroid, cricoid, and epiglottis—and three smaller paired cartilages—the arytenoids,...
01:20Exercise and Cardiovascular Response
Light to moderate physical activity initiates a series of interconnected responses in the body. The heart rate modestly increases in anticipation of the workout, followed by widespread vasodilation as oxygen consumption by skeletal muscles increases. This results in decreased peripheral resistance, increased capillary blood flow, and accelerated...