The impact of student rating preferences using an online auditory perceptual training tool
Channel: Cate Madill
Date: 2020-05-17

A/Prof Cate Madill, 
Ph.D., BAppSc (Speech Pathology)HonsM1, BA (Hons), CPSP
University of Sydney
Contact : cate.madill@sydney.edu.au

Ayin Huzmeli
BAppSc(Speech Pathology)Hons
University of Sydney

Dr Duong Nguyen
MD, Ph.D.
University of Sydney

Background. Auditory-Perceptual rating of speech and voice is a core clinical competency of all SLP graduates. Auditory-perceptual (AP) training for brief periods with feedback has been proven to increase the reliability of judgments (Chan, Li, Law, & Yiu, 2012). Madill et al (2018) found that online auditory-perceptual rating increases practice and increased practice improves performance on auditory-perceptual assessment tasks. Currently, there are no recommendations for when to rate an AP task: whilst listening, after listening or pausing to rate while listening. 
Objectives. To investigate the effects of listening-rating patterns on rating scores using the CAPE-V rating scale on a freely available online platform. 
Methods. 1735 auditory-perceptual ratings of teaching class case voice samples from undergraduate and professional entry Masters students were collected via an online rating tool (Bridge2Practice.com) over a 2 year time period and analysed using SPSS 25.0. Measures analysed included mean ratings of overall severity, roughness, and breathiness, and the number of times a recording was played or stopped/paused.
Results. 3.8% of the ratings were performed before the voice samples were played and were excluded from analyses. The remaining 1670 ratings were divided into four groups: 2.0%  were made after the rater finished listening; 42.0% were rated whilst listening and at the end of the recording without using pauses; 4.3% were rated during pauses; and 51.7% were completed while listening without pauses. One-way analysis of variance showed significant main effects for group for overall severity, roughness, breathiness, and strain (p less than 0.001). Results also showed significant correlations between the time that the raters ended or paused the media and the rating scores of overall severity (r = -0.133, p less than  0.01), breathiness (r = -0.104, p less than 0.01), and strain (r = -0.157, p less than 0.01).
Conclusion: These findings implied that the way raters used/played/paused vocal stimuli/media had significant effects on auditory-perceptual assessment.