Assessment of acoustic properties of voice in affective and mood states mediated by emotional regulation habits

• Grant number: 24/22303-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: February 01, 2025
• End date: January 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Medicine - Psychiatry
• Principal Investigator: Lucas Murrins Marques
• Grantee: Melina Houlis Hao Masini
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Médicas da Santa Casa de São Paulo (FCMSCSP). Fundação Arnaldo Vieira de Carvalho. São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

This project investigates the potential of vocal acoustic characteristics as biomarkers for affective states, mood, and emotional regulation techniques in healthy adults. Employing advanced signal processing methods and multivariate statistical analyses, the study aims to correlate these vocal biomarkers with psychological and behavioral variables. A total of 160 healthy adult participants will undergo a series of psychometric tests, including the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) and the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ), to measure their emotional states and regulation strategies. Voice data will be collected through WhatsApp voice messages in which participants will describe induced and everyday emotional experiences.Vocal features such as zero-crossing rate, energy, energy entropy, spectral centroids, and other parameters will be extracted and analyzed to determine their correlations with reported and measured emotional states. The analysis will include multivariate regression techniques to explore potential associations between voice signal patterns and various levels of affective states and emotional regulation. The expected outcomes of the study are anticipated to reveal specific vocal patterns that correlate significantly with positive and negative affects, as well as individual capacities for emotional regulation. The findings are expected to make significant contributions to understanding vocal biomarkers as assessment tools in mental health, providing a non-invasive, quantifiably objective method to monitor and intervene in clinical and research settings. Moreover, the study plans to submit at least two scientific articles to high-impact international journals, focusing on a systematic review article on vocal biomarkers for mental health and a second article on the empirical findings of the study. This research will also significantly contribute to the academic and practical training of the research fellow, offering rich experience in data analysis and interdisciplinary understanding necessary for advancing a career in neuroscience and mental health.