Effects of fundamental frequency changes on spoken sound loudness

• Published in: Perception (London) 2024-07, Vol.53 (7), p.450-464
• Main Authors: Evans, Jonathan P., Lin, Kueihong, Savostyanov, Alexander N.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Female; Humans; Language; Loudness Perception - physiology; Male; Speech Acoustics; Speech Perception - physiology; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0301-0066; 1468-4233; 1468-4233
• DOI: 10.1177/03010066241249451

This study aimed to investigate the perception of loudness in response to changes in fundamental frequency (F0) in spoken sounds, as well as the influence of linguistic background on this perceptual process. The results revealed that participants perceived changes in F0 to have accompanying changes in loudness, with a trend of lower F0 sounds being perceived as louder than higher F0 sounds. This finding contrasts with previous studies on pure tones, where increases in frequency typically led to increases in loudness. Furthermore, the study examined differences between two distinct groups of participants: Chinese-speaking and English-speaking individuals. It was observed that English-speaking participants exhibited a greater sensitivity to minor intensity changes compared to Chinese-speaking participants. This discrepancy in sensitivity suggests that linguistic background may play a significant role in shaping the perception of loudness in spoken sound. The study's findings contribute to our understanding of how F0 variations are perceived in terms of loudness, and highlight the potential impact of language experience on this perceptual process.