Chinese Emotional Speech Audiometry Project (Tang et al., 2024)

<b>Purpose: </b>The Chinese Emotional Speech Audiometry Project (CESAP) aims to establish a new material set for Chinese speech audiometry tests, which can be used in both neutral and emotional prosody settings. As the first endeavor of CESAP, this study demonstrates the development of the material foundation and reports its validation in neutral prosody.<b>Method: </b>In the development step, 40 phonetically balanced word lists consisting of 30 Chinese disyllabic words with neutral valence were first generated. In a following affective rating experiment, 35 word lists were qualified for validation based on the familiarity and valence ratings from 30 normal-hearing (NH) participants. For validation, performance-intensity functions of each word list were fitted with responses from 60 NH subjects under six presentation levels (−1, 3, 5, 7, 11, and 20 dB HL). The final material set was determined by the intelligibility scores at each decibel level and the mean slopes.<b>Results: </b>First, 35 lists satisfied the criteria of phonetic balance, limited repetitions, high familiarity, and neutral valence and were selected for validation. Second, 15 lists were compiled in the final material set based on the pairwise differences in intelligibility scores and the fitted 20%–80% slopes. The established material set had high reliability and validity and was sensitive to detect intelligibility changes (50% slope: 6.20%/dB; 20%–80% slope: 5.45%/dB), with small covariance of variation for thresholds (15%), 50% slope (12%), and 20%–80% slope (12%).<b>Conclusion: </b>Our final material set of 15 word lists takes the initiative to control the emotional aspect of audiometry tests, which enriches available Mandarin speech recognition materials and warrants future assessments in emotional prosody among populations with hearing impairments.<b>Supplemental Material S1.</b> Word recognition scores at seven presentation levels in the pilot experiment.<b>Supplemental Material S2.</b> Key parameters of performance-intensity curves for 35 lists in the pilot experiment.<b>Supplemental Material S3.</b> Threshold and slope values of the psychometric function of 30 lists in the formal experiment.<b>Supplemental Material S4.</b> Significant pairwise differences by Tukey HSD among 30 lists.<b>Supplemental Material S5. </b>A sample word list representative of our final material set.Tang, E., Gong, J., Zhang, J., Zhang, J., Fang, R., Guan, J., &amp; Ding, H. (2024). Chinese Emotional Speech Audiometry Project (CESAP): Establishment and validation of a new material set with emotionally neutral disyllabic words. <i>Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 67</i>(6), 1945–1963. https://doi.org/10.1044/2024_JSLHR-23-00625

研究目的：中文情绪言语测听项目（Chinese Emotional Speech Audiometry Project, CESAP）旨在构建一套适用于汉语言语测听的新型材料库，可同时适配中性与情感性韵律场景。作为该项目的首项研究，本研究阐述了该材料库的基础开发流程，并报告了其在中性韵律下的验证结果。
研究方法：开发阶段，首先生成40组语音平衡词表，每组包含30个中性效价的汉语双音节词。后续开展情感评分实验，基于30名正常听力（normal-hearing, NH）受试者的熟悉度与效价评分，最终筛选出35组合格词表用于验证。验证阶段，选取60名正常听力受试者，在6个声级（-1、3、5、7、11和20 dB HL）下进行测试，拟合得到每组词表的性能-强度函数。最终材料库依据各声级下的言语识别得分与平均斜率确定。
研究结果：其一，35组词表满足语音平衡、重复率低、熟悉度高且效价中性的标准，入选验证环节。其二，基于各组词表识别得分的组间差异与拟合得到的20%~80%识别率斜率，最终筛选出15组词表作为正式材料库。所构建的材料库具备良好的信效度，可灵敏检测识别能力变化（50%斜率：6.20%/dB；20%~80%斜率：5.45%/dB），其阈值变异系数（15%）、50%斜率变异系数（12%）与20%~80%斜率变异系数（12%）均处于较低水平。
研究结论：本研究最终确定的15组词表首次实现了言语测听测试中情感维度的可控性，丰富了现有普通话言语识别测试材料库，为后续针对听障人群开展情感韵律下的言语测听评估奠定了基础。
补充材料S1：预实验中7个声级下的言语识别得分。
补充材料S2：预实验中35组词表的性能-强度曲线关键参数。
补充材料S3：正式实验中30组词表的心理物理函数阈值与斜率值。
补充材料S4：30组词表间经Tukey HSD检验得到的显著组间差异。
补充材料S5：代表正式材料库的典型词表示例。
Tang, E., Gong, J., Zhang, J., Zhang, J., Fang, R., Guan, J., & Ding, H. (2024). 中文情绪言语测听项目（CESAP）：基于中性双音节词的新型测听材料库构建与验证. 《Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research》, 67(6), 1945–1963. https://doi.org/10.1044/2024_JSLHR-23-00625