Clinical Voices

Several mental illnesses have been associated with unusual speech patterns (mostly monotone, emotionless voices), with consequent negative impact on social interactions. This project employs non-linear methods of voice analyses and machine learning techniques to investigate monological and dialogical speech production in clinical patients and matched controls. The study will provide a quantitative ground to qualitative psychiatric assessments of patients’ speech patterns. Crucially, it will be a preliminary step in better understanding some of the social impairments in the clinical populations and the dynamics of social interaction, with potential therapeutical impact.
This project has been supported by seed funding from the Interacting Minds Centre (https://sites.google.com/a/interacting-minds.net/seeds/home/2012/fusaro)