This book provides a new multi-method, process-oriented approach towards speech quality assessment, which allows readers to examine the influence of speech transmission quality on a variety of perceptual and cognitive processes in human listeners. Fundamental concepts and methodologies surrounding the topic of process-oriented quality assessment are introduced and discussed. The book further describes a functional process model of human quality perception, which theoretically integrates results obtained in three experimental studies. This books conceptual ideas, empirical findings, and theoretical interpretations should be of particular interest to researchers working in the fields of Quality and Usability Engineering, Audio Engineering, Psychoacoustics, Audiology, and Psychophysiology.

Stefan Uhrig received M.Sc. degrees in Psychology at the University of Giessen (2013) and in Human Factors at the Technical University (TU) of Berlin (2016). Since February 2017, he has been working as a researcher at the Quality and Usability Lab of TU Berlin.

Introduction.- Speech Quality Fundamentals.- Speech Quality Assessment.- Functional Model of Quality Perception.- Discrimination of Speech Quality Change Along Perceptual Dimensions.- Talker Identification Under Varying Speech Quality and Spatialization.- General Discussion and Outlook.- Conclusion.