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Published on: September 27, 2024
Human Voice as a Measure of Mental Load Level
Stanislas Boyer1, Pierre-Vincent Paubel1, Robert Ruiz2
1Cognition, Languages, Language, Ergonomics-Work & Cognition Laboratory (CLLE-LTC), University of Toulouse and Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, France.
Purpose:
The aim of this study was to determine a reliable and efficient set of acoustic parameters of the human voice able to estimate individuals' mental load level. Implementing detection methods and real-time analysis of mental load is a major challenge for monitoring and enhancing human task performance, especially during high-risk activities (e.g., flying aircraft).
Method:
The voices of 32 participants were recorded during a cognitive task featuring word list recall. The difficulty of the task was manipulated by varying the number of words in each list (i.e., between 1 and 7, corresponding to 7 mental load conditions). Evoked pupillary response, known to be a useful proxy of mental load, was recorded simultaneously with speech to attest variations in mental load level during the experimental task.
Results:
Classic features (fundamental frequency, its standard deviation, number of periods) and original features (frequency modulation and short-term variation in digital amplitude length) of the acoustic signals were predictive of memory load condition. They varied significantly according to the number of words to recall, specifically beyond a threshold of 3-5 words to recall, that is, when memory performance started to decline.
Conclusions:
Some acoustic parameters of the human voice could be an appropriate and efficient means for detecting mental load levels.
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