Acoustic characteristics of voice production in virtual reality-simulated and physical environments: a comparative study in university professors

Abstract This study investigated the reliability of a virtual reality-simulated classroom to generate a comparable self-perception of voice quality and acoustic effects of phonation to a real classroom in a group of teachers, and sense of presence. Thirty university professors participated in the study and were required to produce loud connected speech by reading a 100-word text in two conditions: (1) in a real classroom including a group of students, and (2) in a virtual replica of the classroom consisting of a 360-degree video of the same classroom and students, which was displayed using a head mounted display. Ambient noise was controlled in both conditions by playing classroom noise through headphones. The self-perception of voice quality, the long-term average spectrum and smooth cepstral peak prominence were estimated in both conditions. The sense of presence generated by virtual reality was measured after interacting with the virtual classroom. There were no statistically significant differences in the self-perception of voice quality or in the acoustic measures of voice production between conditions. The sense of presence in the virtual classroom was high. Our findings suggest that a virtual reality-simulated classroom generate comparable self-perception of voice quality and acoustic effects of phonation to the real classroom, and a high sense of presence, in a group of teachers. Additionally, it is important to highlight the potential of virtual reality to enhance the ecological validity of acoustic assessment of voice production in laboratories and clinical settings.