A Correlation Study Between speech-related features and personality traits

Voice signal has been widely investigated to characterize mood and emotional states. A further interesting dimension could regard the personality traits. In fact, speech production can be related to personality traits evaluated by others. The relationship between personality traits and specific speech features is not yet fully understood and requires further investigation. In this study, a correlational analysis between some speech-related features and the personality traits, as described by the Zuckerman-Kuhlman model, is performed. An experimental protocol was administered to eighteen healthy subjects to investigate both fundamental frequency and voice quality related features. Results showed that a skewness-like measure of the fundamental frequency is negatively correlated with the Sociability dimension. The impact of personality traits and speech production studies on the characterization of mental disorders and the estimation of emotional/mood state of the speaker are discussed.