The Voice and Speech Quality Correlates of Psychological Observations in Jungian Active Imagination Experiment

Abstract

© 2019, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature. Jungian active imagination is a well known and valuable method in analytical psychology and psychotherapy. The present study assessed, for the first time, psychological and psycho-acoustical (voice and speech quality) effects of active imagination experiment in outdoor, forest, ambient. In order to analyse the voice and speech quality, participants’ verbal expressions were recorded before and after the experiment. Psychological observations were based on the thirteen features and were rated according to the bipolar Comparison Mean Opinion Score scale. The results showed a noticeable positive participants’ experiences after the experiment, connected with themselves, others, their behaviour, other verbal and non-verbal expressions and relations towards nature. Voice and speech quality analysis, based on the speech signal processing approach, was done based on the fourteen acoustic features. The results showed a statistically significantly better voice and speech quality of the participants at the end of the experiment (p < 0.05). Applying the averaging model from the Information Integration Theory, we obtained integral evaluative ratings in active imagination for psychological observations EAI and voice and speech quality observations EVQ, for each participant. The value of Pearson’s correlation coefficient R = 0.6385 (p < 0.05) has shown a significant correlation between these two ratings. Overall results highlight starting hypothesis that exist some strong voice and speech correlates of psychological observations in Jungian active imagination experiment.