Heart rate and six speech measures were evaluated using a manual track
ing task under different workload demands. Following training, 17 male
subjects performed three task trials: a difficult trial, with a $50 i
ncentive for successful performance at a very demanding level; an easy
trial, with a $2 incentive for successful performance at a simple lev
el; and a baseline trial, in which there was physiological monitoring
but no tracking performance. Subjects counted aloud during the trials.
It was found that heart rate, speaking fundamental frequency (pitch),
and vocal intensity (loudness) increased significantly with workload
demands. Speaking rate showed a marginal increase, while vocal jitter
and vocal shimmer did not show reliable changes. A derived speech meas
ure, which statistically combined information from all other speech me
asures except shimmer, was also evaluated. It increased significantly
with workload demands and was surprisingly robust in showing differenc
es for individual subjects. It appears that speech analysis can provid
e practical workload information.