A methodological framework and exemplar protocol for the collection and analysis of repeated speech samples

TL;DR

This paper presents a comprehensive, adaptable framework and protocol for collecting and analyzing repeated speech samples to improve the reliability and reproducibility of speech-based health assessments.

Contribution

It introduces a standardized methodological framework and exemplar protocol for speech data collection and analysis, addressing confounding factors and promoting replicability in speech research.

Findings

Collected normative speech features from healthy individuals

Developed a protocol controlling for confounding variables

Provided a resource of normative speech feature values

Abstract

Speech and language biomarkers have the potential to be regular, objective assessments of symptom severity in several health conditions, both in-clinic and remotely using mobile devices. However, the complex nature of speech and often subtle changes associated with health mean that findings are highly dependent on methodological and cohort choices. These are often not reported adequately in studies investigating speech-based health assessment, hindering the progress of methodological speech research. Our objectives were to) facilitate replicable speech research by presenting an adaptable speech collection and analytical method and design checklist for other researchers to adapt for their own experiments and develop an exemplar protocol that reduces and controls for confounding factors in repeated recordings of speech, including device choice, speech elicitation task and non-pathological variability. The presented protocol comprises the elicitation of read speech, held vowels and a picture description collected with a freestanding condenser microphone, 3 smartphones and a headset. We extracted a set of 14 exemplar speech features. We collected healthy speech from 28 individuals 3 times in 1 day, repeated at the same times 8-11 weeks later, and from 25 individuals on 3 days in 1 week at fixed times. Participant characteristics collected included sex, age, native language status and voice use habits. Before each recording, we collected information on recent voice use, food and drink intake, and emotional state. The extracted features are presented providing a resource of normative values. Speech data collection, processing, analysis and reporting towards clinical research and practice varies widely. Greater harmonisation of study protocols and consistent reporting are urgently required to translate speech processing into clinical research and practice.