Abstract:

The majority of research pertaining to acoustic analysis of infant crying is based on the collection of a limited number of cry segments. Far less research is based on examination of whole crying episodes. Long-time average spectrum (LTAS) analysis offers a quantitative approach to inferring the vocal source as derived from whole crying episodes. The purpose of this study was to quantitatively examine a variety of LTAS characteristics (e.g., energy concentrations, spectral tilt) in the crying episodes of ten normal full-term neonates and ten at-risk preterm neonates. Results of this analysis indicated that some but not all of the LTAS features were discriminating of normal versus at-risk infants. The discussion focuses on the application of cry analysis in the evaluation of laryngeal behavior and its potential usefulness in determining an infant's health status.