Effects of Sidetone Amplification on Vocal Function During Telecommunication.
Nicole E Tomassi, M Eugenia Castro, Lauren Timmons Sund and 3 others
PMID 33992477WHAT IT FOUND
Hearing their own voice amplified during video calls made speakers use less volume and a less pressed vocal quality.
While they did not report feeling less effort on a scale, they ranked the amplified condition as the easiest way to talk.
Key findings
01High levels of sidetone amplification significantly reduced vocal intensity compared to baseline and low amplification conditions.
02High sidetone amplification significantly increased the low-high ratio, suggesting a shift in vocal quality towards less medial compression.
03Self-perceived vocal effort ratings on a visual analog scale did not differ significantly between conditions, though participants ranked high amplification as the least effortful.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study used a small sample of 18 young adults with typical voices, so results may not apply to those with voice disorders or different age groups. The tasks were short (10 minutes per condition), which may not capture the cumulative vocal fatigue experienced over a full workday. The study was conducted in a sound-attenuated booth, which is an ideal acoustic environment unlike typical noisy home or office settings. The specific levels of amplification were chosen empirically and may not represent the full range of possible effects.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that sidetone amplification reduces subjective vocal effort based on the visual analog scale ratings, as these differences were not statistically significant. The reduction in effort was only evident when participants ranked the conditions against each other, not when they rated them in isolation.