Using Rate of Divergence as an Objective Measure to Differentiate between Voice Signal Types Based on the Amount of Disorder in the Signal.
William M Calawerts, Liyu Lin, J C Sprott and 1 others
PMID 26920858WHAT IT FOUND
Rate of divergence separated four voice signal types, including type 4 from the other three.
It may help SLPs objectively classify highly irregular voice, but voice types were labeled subjectively and no patient outcomes were tested.
Key findings
01The rate of divergence differed significantly across the four voice types.
02Type 4 voice was significantly different from type 1, type 2, and type 3 voice.
03Type 3 voice was significantly different from type 1 and type 2 voice.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
Voice types were assigned by researchers looking at spectrograms, so some samples may have been misclassified. Samples that did not fit standard voice types or that researchers sorted differently were excluded, so the analyzed samples may not represent all disordered voice signals. The rate of divergence values overlapped at the transitions between voice types. For type 4 voice, the true signal dimension could not be calculated, so the analysis used a fixed three-dimensional calculation. The study analyzed archived voice samples, not patients, and did not measure voice symptoms, treatment response, or clinical outcomes.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that rate of divergence improves voice diagnosis or treatment. The study analyzed archived voice samples, not patients, and voice types were assigned subjectively, so no patient outcome was tested.