Bruce L. Brown

Fifty‐four voices from two: the effects of simultaneous manipulations of rate, mean fundamental frequency, and variance of fundamental frequency on ratings of personality from speech

Utterances of two adults males were analyzed and synthesized by a fast Fourier Transforms method. Each of the two voices was synthesized in each of the twenty‐seven combinations of three levels each of rate, mean FO, and variance of FO (a total of fifty‐four “voices” generated from two). The effects of the rate, mean FO, and variance of FO manipulations, the interactive effects of rate and variance of FO, and the effects due to speaker were all statistically significant predictors of personality ratings given the voices. They accounted for 86%, 4%, 3%, 2%, and I% of the variance, respectively, in competence ratings and 48%, 1%, 6%, 1%, and 8% of the variance, respectively, in benevolence ratings. Increased speaking rate was found to decrease the benevolence ratings, and decreased rate was found to decrease competence ratings. Decreased variance of FO was found to decrease the ratings on both competence and benevolence. Increased mean FO in these male voices was also found to decrease competence and benevo...

Perceptions of personality from speech: effects of manipulations of acoustical parameters.

A speech analysis‐synthesis system was used to manipulate variance of fundamental frequency and a mechanical rate changer was used to manipulate speech rate. The synthesized and altered voices were tested for realism. Synthesized voices were mistaken for normal 50% to 58% of the time and rate‐changed voices were mistaken for normal 78% of the time. Additional studies were conducted to test the effects of these acoustical manipulations on the adjective ratings judges made of speakers. Variance of intonation was increased and decreased by 50% for eight speakers. There was a significant trend for increased intonation to cause voices to be rated more “benevolent” by judges and decreased intonation to cause them to be rated less “benevolent.” In two additional studies, rate was decreased and increased by varying amounts. Slowing the voices caused them to be rated less “competent.” Speeding the voices caused them to be rated less “benevolent.” Results were more consistent over speakers for rate manipulations th...

The efficacy of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors in adult social anxiety disorder : a meta-analysis of double-blind, placebo-controlled trials

Social anxiety disorder is associated with impairment in social and occupational functioning, significant personal distress and a possible economic burden, resulting in a reduction in quality of life. To understand better the efficacy of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors in social anxiety disorder, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials were evaluated. Pubmed and PsychINFO electronic databases were searched for social anxiety disorder, social phobia, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, citalopram, escitalopram, fluoxetine, fluvoxamine, paroxetine and sertraline. Fifteen published, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors in social anxiety disorder were identified. Design, subject number, drug and dose, trial length, rating instruments, and baseline and end point data were extracted and then verified independently by a second investigator. Effect sizes were calculated from mean changes in drug and placebo groups in the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale and the Sheehan Disability Scale, as well as from other scales where available. For the binary data of the Clinical Global Impression of Change scores, Θlog-odds ratios (the effect-size measure appropriate for binary data) were calculated from proportion changes. Effect sizes for the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale ranged from -0.029 to 1.214. Effect sizes for the Sheehan Disability Scale ranged from 0.203 to 0.480 for work, 0.237 to 0.786 for social function, and 0.118 to 0.445 for family function. ΘThe log-odds ratios for Clinical Global Impression of Change scores ranged from 0.644 to 3.267. Consistent with previous studies, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors appear more effective than placebo for social anxiety disorder, with improvement extending into social and occupational function.

Effects of Speech Rate on Personality Attributions and Competency Evaluations

ABSTRACT With the development of Fourier analysis and related speech synthesis techniques, it is possible to isolate experimentally the effects of one vocal paralinguistic feature at a time. So far, speech rate is the single dimension that has been found to have the most reliable and clear cut effects. The early studies found a monotonically increasing relationship between rate and evaluations of the speaker on competence-related adjectives (with higher competence being attributed to higher speaking rates) and an inverted U relationship between rate and evaluations of the speaker on benevolence-related adjectives (with middle ranges of rate receiving the highest ratings). There have been substantial methodological improvements in later studies with the development of experimental paradigms to assess the effects of rate manipulations on natural spontaneous speech, but the early findings remain essentially unchanged. New work is beginning using more sophisticated methods of analysing and synthesising temporal patterns rather than just increasing and decreasing rate.

Comparing the Effects of Instructional and Transformational Leadership on Student Achievement: Implications for Practice.

The purpose of this study was to compare transformational and instructional leadership theories, examine the unique impact that school leaders have on student achievement, and determine which specific leadership practices are associated with increased student achievement. The sample for this study consisted of 590 teachers in 37 elementary schools in the Intermountain West of the United States. Teachers rated their principals’ leadership style according to the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (Transformational Leadership) and the Principal Instructional Management Rating Scale (Instructional leadership). Student achievement was measured by a criterion referenced test. Hypotheses were tested using regression analysis. Results indicated that instructional leadership explained more of the variance in student achievement than did transformational leadership. Principals’ leadership style tended to have a meaningful impact on student achievement beyond the impact of school context and principal demographics. Specific leadership functions associated with student achievement were also identified and reported. Conclusion, implications and limitations are also discussed.

A direct comparison of effect sizes from the clinical global impression-improvement scale to effect sizes from other rating scales in controlled trials of adult social anxiety disorder.

The clinical global impression‐improvement scale (CGI‐I) is used to monitor treatment outcome in mental disorders. To better understand the properties of the CGI‐I scale in social anxiety disorder, effects sizes from the CGI‐I scale were compared to comparably calculated effect sizes from other rating scales obtained from double‐blind, placebo‐controlled trials of selective‐serotonin reuptake inhibitors in social anxiety disorder. From peer‐reviewed, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled studies evaluating selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors in social anxiety disorder, we extracted CGI‐I data and scores from other assessment scales of severity and function. Using calculations that enabled direct comparisons, effect sizes for the binarily reported CGI‐I scores were compared to effect sizes from the quantitative scales.

Brain Integrity and Cerebral Atrophy in Vietnam Combat Veterans with and without Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with decreased hippocampal volume, but the relationship between trauma and brain morphology in the absence of PTSD is less clear. In this study, measures of brain integrity were determined by estimating gray and white matter regional brain volumes using structural magnetic resonance imaging in six patients with PTSD and in five controls with comparable trauma exposure but without clinical evidence of PTSD. The only statistically significant volume difference between groups was observed multivariately in the white matter of the right temporal lobe (superior temporal gyrus, fusiform gyrus, parahippocampal gyrus, white-matter stem, middle temporal gyrus, and inferior temporal gyrus), although small sample sizes limit the power to detect between-group differences. Both groups showed heterogeneity in cerebral atrophy.

Association between latent toxoplasmosis and cognition in adults: a cross-sectional study

Latent infection from Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) is widespread worldwide and has been associated with cognitive deficits in some but not all animal models and in humans. We tested the hypothesis that latent toxoplasmosis is associated with decreased cognitive function in a large cross-sectional dataset, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). There were 4178 participants aged 20-59 years, of whom 19.1% had IgG antibodies against T. gondii. Two ordinary least squares (OLS) regression models adjusted for the NHANES complex sampling design and weighted to represent the US population were estimated for simple reaction time, processing speed and short-term memory or attention. The first model included only main effects of latent toxoplasmosis and demographic control variables, and the second added interaction terms between latent toxoplasmosis and the poverty-to-income ratio (PIR), educational attainment and race-ethnicity. We also used multivariate models to assess all three cognitive outcomes in the same model. Although the models evaluating main effects only demonstrated no association between latent toxoplasmosis and the cognitive outcomes, significant interactions between latent toxoplasmosis and the PIR, between latent toxoplasmosis and educational attainment, and between latent toxoplasmosis and race-ethnicity indicated that latent toxoplasmosis may adversely affect cognitive function in certain groups.

Do emotions have distinct vocal profiles? A study of idiographic patterns of expression

Research on vocal expressions of emotion indicates that persons can identify emotions from voice with relatively high accuracy rates. In addition, fairly consistent vocal profiles for specific emotions have been identified. However, important methodological issues remain to be addressed. In this paper, we address the issue of whether there are individual differences in the manner in which particular emotions may be expressed vocally and whether trained speakers’ portrayals of emotion are in some sense superior to untrained speakers’ portrayals. Consistent support was found for differences across speakers in the manner in which they expressed the same emotions. No accompanying relationship was found between differences in expression and accuracy of identification of those expressions. Little evidence for the superiority of trained speakers was found. Implications of these findings for future studies of vocal expressions of emotion, as well as our understanding of emotions in general, are discussed.

Interpersonal Information Conveyed by the Content and Vocal Aspects of Speech.

Two experiments were conducted to identify kinds of interpersonal information conveyed by vocal and content aspects of speech. Speech samples conveying (1) vocal, (2) content, and (3) both vocal and content information were evaluated. Transmitted information was measured by agreement among subjects on adjective rating scales. Most of the information about “benevolence” was conveyed by content, while most of the information about “social attractiveness” was conveyed by the vocal aspect of speech. Information about “competence” was conveyed by both the vocal and content aspects with male subjects, but with female subjects most of this information was conveyed by the vocal aspect.