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Yuan Y, Shang J, Gao C, Sommer W, Li W. A premium for positive social interest and attractive voices in the acceptability of unfair offers? An ERP study. Eur J Neurosci 2024. [PMID: 38777332 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.16422] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2024] [Revised: 04/18/2024] [Accepted: 05/05/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
Although the attractiveness of voices plays an important role in social interactions, it is unclear how voice attractiveness and social interest influence social decision-making. Here, we combined the ultimatum game with recording event-related brain potentials (ERPs) and examined the effect of attractive versus unattractive voices of the proposers, expressing positive versus negative social interest ("I like you" vs. "I don't like you"), on the acceptance of the proposal. Overall, fair offers were accepted at significantly higher rates than unfair offers, and high voice attractiveness increased acceptance rates for all proposals. In ERPs in response to the voices, their attractiveness and expressed social interests yielded early additive effects in the N1 component, followed by interactions in the subsequent P2, P3 and N400 components. More importantly, unfair offers elicited a larger Medial Frontal Negativity (MFN) than fair offers but only when the proposer's voice was unattractive or when the voice carried positive social interest. These results suggest that both voice attractiveness and social interest moderate social decision-making and there is a similar "beauty premium" for voices as for faces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Yuan
- Research Center of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, China
- Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Dalian, Liaoning Province, China
| | - Junchen Shang
- School of Humanities, Southeast University, Jiangsu, China
| | - Chunhai Gao
- College of Education, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Werner Sommer
- Institut für Psychologie, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Psychology, Zhejiang Normal University, Jin Hua, China
- Department of Physics and Life Sciences Imaging Center, Hongkong Baptist University, Hong Kong
- Faculty of Education, National University of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Weijun Li
- Research Center of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, China
- Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Dalian, Liaoning Province, China
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2
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Ostrega J, Shiramizu V, Lee AJ, Jones BC, Feinberg DR. No evidence that averaging voices influences attractiveness. Sci Rep 2024; 14:10488. [PMID: 38714709 PMCID: PMC11076608 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-61064-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2023] [Accepted: 04/30/2024] [Indexed: 05/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Vocal attractiveness influences important social outcomes. While most research on the acoustic parameters that influence vocal attractiveness has focused on the possible roles of sexually dimorphic characteristics of voices, such as fundamental frequency (i.e., pitch) and formant frequencies (i.e., a correlate of body size), other work has reported that increasing vocal averageness increases attractiveness. Here we investigated the roles these three characteristics play in judgments of the attractiveness of male and female voices. In Study 1, we found that increasing vocal averageness significantly decreased distinctiveness ratings, demonstrating that participants could detect manipulations of vocal averageness in this stimulus set and using this testing paradigm. However, in Study 2, we found no evidence that increasing averageness significantly increased attractiveness ratings of voices. In Study 3, we found that fundamental frequency was negatively correlated with male vocal attractiveness and positively correlated with female vocal attractiveness. By contrast with these results for fundamental frequency, vocal attractiveness and formant frequencies were not significantly correlated. Collectively, our results suggest that averageness may not necessarily significantly increase attractiveness judgments of voices and are consistent with previous work reporting significant associations between attractiveness and voice pitch.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Ostrega
- Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
| | - Victor Shiramizu
- Department of Psychological Sciences and Health, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK
| | - Anthony J Lee
- Division of Psychology, University of Stirling, Stirling, UK
| | - Benedict C Jones
- Department of Psychological Sciences and Health, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK
| | - David R Feinberg
- Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada.
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4
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Albert G, Arnocky S, Puts DA, Hodges-Simeon CR. Can listeners assess men's self-reported health from their voice? EVOL HUM BEHAV 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2020.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
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5
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Schild C, Aung T, Kordsmeyer TL, Cardenas RA, Puts DA, Penke L. Linking human male vocal parameters to perceptions, body morphology, strength and hormonal profiles in contexts of sexual selection. Sci Rep 2020; 10:21296. [PMID: 33277544 PMCID: PMC7719159 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-77940-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2020] [Accepted: 11/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Sexual selection appears to have shaped the acoustic signals of diverse species, including humans. Deep, resonant vocalizations in particular may function in attracting mates and/or intimidating same-sex competitors. Evidence for these adaptive functions in human males derives predominantly from perception studies in which vocal acoustic parameters were manipulated using specialist software. This approach affords tight experimental control but provides little ecological validity, especially when the target acoustic parameters vary naturally with other parameters. Furthermore, such experimental studies provide no information about what acoustic variables indicate about the speaker-that is, why attention to vocal cues may be favored in intrasexual and intersexual contexts. Using voice recordings with high ecological validity from 160 male speakers and biomarkers of condition, including baseline cortisol and testosterone levels, body morphology and strength, we tested a series of pre-registered hypotheses relating to both perceptions and underlying condition of the speaker. We found negative curvilinear and negative linear relationships between male fundamental frequency (fo) and female perceptions of attractiveness and male perceptions of dominance. In addition, cortisol and testosterone negatively interacted in predicting fo, and strength and measures of body size negatively predicted formant frequencies (Pf). Meta-analyses of the present results and those from two previous samples confirmed that fonegatively predicted testosterone only among men with lower cortisol levels. This research offers empirical evidence of possible evolutionary functions for attention to men's vocal characteristics in contexts of sexual selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christoph Schild
- Department of Psychology, University of Copenhagen, Øster Farimagsgade 2A, 1353, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Toe Aung
- Department of Anthropology and Center for Brain, Behavior and Cognition, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Tobias L Kordsmeyer
- Department of Psychology and Leibniz ScienceCampus Primate Cognition, University of Goettingen, Gosslerstrasse 14, 37073, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Rodrigo A Cardenas
- Department of Psychology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - David A Puts
- Department of Anthropology and Center for Brain, Behavior and Cognition, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA.
| | - Lars Penke
- Department of Psychology and Leibniz ScienceCampus Primate Cognition, University of Goettingen, Gosslerstrasse 14, 37073, Göttingen, Germany.
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6
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Peng Z, Wang Y, Meng L, Liu H, Hu Z. One's own and similar voices are more attractive than other voices. AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLOGY 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/ajpy.12235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Zhikang Peng
- Department of Psychology, Zhejiang Sci‐Tech University, Hangzhou, China,
| | - Yanran Wang
- Department of Psychology, Zhejiang Sci‐Tech University, Hangzhou, China,
| | - Linghao Meng
- Department of Psychology, Zhejiang Sci‐Tech University, Hangzhou, China,
| | - Hongyan Liu
- Department of Psychology, Zhejiang Sci‐Tech University, Hangzhou, China,
| | - Zhiguo Hu
- Institutes of Psychological Sciences, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, China,
- Center for Cognition and Brain Disorders, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, China,
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7
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Peng Z, Hu Z, Wang X, Liu H. Mechanism underlying the self‐enhancement effect of voice attractiveness evaluation: self‐positivity bias and familiarity effect. Scand J Psychol 2020; 61:690-697. [DOI: 10.1111/sjop.12643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2019] [Accepted: 03/20/2020] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Zhikang Peng
- Department of Psychology Zhejiang Sci‐Tech University Hangzhou 310018 China
| | - Zhiguo Hu
- Center for Cognition and Brain Disorders Hangzhou Normal University Hangzhou 311121 China
- Institute of Psychological Sciences Hangzhou Normal University Hangzhou 311121 China
- Zhejiang Key Laboratory for Research in Assessment of Cognitive Impairments Hangzhou Normal University Hangzhou 311121 China
| | - Xinyu Wang
- Department of Psychology Zhejiang Sci‐Tech University Hangzhou 310018 China
| | - Hongyan Liu
- Department of Psychology Zhejiang Sci‐Tech University Hangzhou 310018 China
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8
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Contiguity-based sound iconicity: The meaning of words resonates with phonetic properties of their immediate verbal contexts. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0216930. [PMID: 31095612 PMCID: PMC6522027 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0216930] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2018] [Accepted: 05/01/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
We tested the hypothesis that phonosemantic iconicity--i.e., a motivated resonance of sound and meaning--might not only be found on the level of individual words or entire texts, but also in word combinations such that the meaning of a target word is iconically expressed, or highlighted, in the phonetic properties of its immediate verbal context. To this end, we extracted single lines from German poems that all include a word designating high or low dominance, such as large or small, strong or weak, etc. Based on insights from previous studies, we expected to find more vowels with a relatively short distance between the first two formants (low formant dispersion) in the immediate context of words expressing high physical or social dominance than in the context of words expressing low dominance. Our findings support this hypothesis, suggesting that neighboring words can form iconic dyads in which the meaning of one word is sound-iconically reflected in the phonetic properties of adjacent words. The construct of a contiguity-based phono-semantic iconicity opens many venues for future research well beyond lines extracted from poems.
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Schild C, Feinberg DR, Puts DA, Jünger J, Fasolt V, Holzleitner I, O'Shea K, Lai R, Arslan R, Hahn A, Cárdenas RA, DeBruine LM, Jones BC. TEMPORARY REMOVAL: Are attractive female voices really best characterized by feminine fundamental and formant frequencies? EVOL HUM BEHAV 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2019.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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10
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A house of cards: bias in perception of body size mediates the relationship between voice pitch and perceptions of dominance. Anim Behav 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2018.11.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
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11
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Filipino Women’s Preferences for Male Voice Pitch: Intra-Individual, Life History, and Hormonal Predictors. ADAPTIVE HUMAN BEHAVIOR AND PHYSIOLOGY 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s40750-018-0087-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
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12
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Low is large: spatial location and pitch interact in voice-based body size estimation. Atten Percept Psychophys 2017; 79:1239-1251. [PMID: 28229428 DOI: 10.3758/s13414-016-1273-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The binding of incongruent cues poses a challenge for multimodal perception. Indeed, although taller objects emit sounds from higher elevations, low-pitched sounds are perceptually mapped both to large size and to low elevation. In the present study, we examined how these incongruent vertical spatial cues (up is more) and pitch cues (low is large) to size interact, and whether similar biases influence size perception along the horizontal axis. In Experiment 1, we measured listeners' voice-based judgments of human body size using pitch-manipulated voices projected from a high versus a low, and a right versus a left, spatial location. Listeners associated low spatial locations with largeness for lowered-pitch but not for raised-pitch voices, demonstrating that pitch overrode vertical-elevation cues. Listeners associated rightward spatial locations with largeness, regardless of voice pitch. In Experiment 2, listeners performed the task while sitting or standing, allowing us to examine self-referential cues to elevation in size estimation. Listeners associated vertically low and rightward spatial cues with largeness more for lowered- than for raised-pitch voices. These correspondences were robust to sex (of both the voice and the listener) and head elevation (standing or sitting); however, horizontal correspondences were amplified when participants stood. Moreover, when participants were standing, their judgments of how much larger men's voices sounded than women's increased when the voices were projected from the low speaker. Our results provide novel evidence for a multidimensional spatial mapping of pitch that is generalizable to human voices and that affects performance in an indirect, ecologically relevant spatial task (body size estimation). These findings suggest that crossmodal pitch correspondences evoke both low-level and higher-level cognitive processes.
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Auracher J. Sound iconicity of abstract concepts: Place of articulation is implicitly associated with abstract concepts of size and social dominance. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0187196. [PMID: 29091943 PMCID: PMC5665516 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0187196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2016] [Accepted: 10/16/2017] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The concept of sound iconicity implies that phonemes are intrinsically associated with non-acoustic phenomena, such as emotional expression, object size or shape, or other perceptual features. In this respect, sound iconicity is related to other forms of cross-modal associations in which stimuli from different sensory modalities are associated with each other due to the implicitly perceived correspondence of their primal features. One prominent example is the association between vowels, categorized according to their place of articulation, and size, with back vowels being associated with bigness and front vowels with smallness. However, to date the relative influence of perceptual and conceptual cognitive processing on this association is not clear. To bridge this gap, three experiments were conducted in which associations between nonsense words and pictures of animals or emotional body postures were tested. In these experiments participants had to infer the relation between visual stimuli and the notion of size from the content of the pictures, while directly perceivable features did not support–or even contradicted–the predicted association. Results show that implicit associations between articulatory-acoustic characteristics of phonemes and pictures are mainly influenced by semantic features, i.e., the content of a picture, whereas the influence of perceivable features, i.e., size or shape, is overridden. This suggests that abstract semantic concepts can function as an interface between different sensory modalities, facilitating cross-modal associations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Auracher
- Department for Language and Literature, Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, Frankfurt aM, Germany
- * E-mail:
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14
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Belin P, Boehme B, McAleer P. The sound of trustworthiness: Acoustic-based modulation of perceived voice personality. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0185651. [PMID: 29023462 PMCID: PMC5638233 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0185651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2017] [Accepted: 09/15/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
When we hear a new voice we automatically form a "first impression" of the voice owner's personality; a single word is sufficient to yield ratings highly consistent across listeners. Past studies have shown correlations between personality ratings and acoustical parameters of voice, suggesting a potential acoustical basis for voice personality impressions, but its nature and extent remain unclear. Here we used data-driven voice computational modelling to investigate the link between acoustics and perceived trustworthiness in the single word "hello". Two prototypical voice stimuli were generated based on the acoustical features of voices rated low or high in perceived trustworthiness, respectively, as well as a continuum of stimuli inter- and extrapolated between these two prototypes. Five hundred listeners provided trustworthiness ratings on the stimuli via an online interface. We observed an extremely tight relationship between trustworthiness ratings and position along the trustworthiness continuum (r = 0.99). Not only were trustworthiness ratings higher for the high- than the low-prototypes, but the difference could be modulated quasi-linearly by reducing or exaggerating the acoustical difference between the prototypes, resulting in a strong caricaturing effect. The f0 trajectory, or intonation, appeared a parameter of particular relevance: hellos rated high in trustworthiness were characterized by a high starting f0 then a marked decrease at mid-utterance to finish on a strong rise. These results demonstrate a strong acoustical basis for voice personality impressions, opening the door to multiple potential applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pascal Belin
- La Timone Neuroscience Institute, Mixed Research Unit 7289 Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique and Aix-Marseille University, Marseille, France
- School of Psychology, Institute of Medicine Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
- Département de Psychologie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
- * E-mail: (PB); (PMA)
| | - Bibi Boehme
- School of Psychology, Institute of Medicine Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Phil McAleer
- School of Psychology, Institute of Medicine Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
- * E-mail: (PB); (PMA)
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Šebesta P, Kleisner K, Tureček P, Kočnar T, Akoko RM, Třebický V, Havlíček J. Voices of Africa: acoustic predictors of human male vocal attractiveness. Anim Behav 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2017.03.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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16
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Balasubramaniam RK, N N. Voice Mutation During Adolescence in Mangalore, India: Implications for the Assessment and Management of Mutational Voice Disorders. J Voice 2017; 31:511.e29-511.e33. [PMID: 28187922 DOI: 10.1016/j.jvoice.2016.11.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2016] [Revised: 11/28/2016] [Accepted: 11/28/2016] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The knowledge of vocal mutation is important for speech pathologists in the diagnosis and management of individuals with mutational voice disorders. However, data on vocal mutation in the Indian population are scarce and hence the present study was planned to investigate the age of attainment of vocal mutation in boys and girls from Mangalore, India, in the age range of 8-18 years. METHODS A total of 600 participants in the age range of 8-18 years were divided into 10 groups with a 1-year interval. Sustained phonation /a/ and a narration were recorded. Two-way analysis of variance was used to obtain significant difference between the means across age and gender for the fundamental frequency and formant frequency measures. RESULTS There was significant main effect of groups for fundamental frequency measure in boys, with post hoc tests revealing statistically significant differences from 14 years of age onward. However, the cutoff criteria of 140 Hz in boys and 240 Hz in girls were attained only by 16 years of age in boys and 15 years in girls, indicating that 16 and 15 years as the ages of onset of vocal mutation in boys and girls, respectively. Results also revealed that first formant frequency undergoes changes from 13 years onward. However, F2 changes from 16 years of age, with no significance observed in F3. CONCLUSION The results of the present study are useful in the assessment and management of individuals with mutational voice disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Radish Kumar Balasubramaniam
- Department of Audiology and Speech Language Pathology, Kasturba Medical College (Manipal University), Mangalore, Karnataka 575001, India.
| | - Nikhita N
- Department of Audiology and Speech Language Pathology, Kasturba Medical College (Manipal University), Mangalore, Karnataka 575001, India
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Warhurst S, Madill C, McCabe P, Ternström S, Yiu E, Heard R. Perceptual and Acoustic Analyses of Good Voice Quality in Male Radio Performers. J Voice 2016; 31:259.e1-259.e12. [PMID: 27342753 DOI: 10.1016/j.jvoice.2016.05.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2016] [Revised: 05/15/2016] [Accepted: 05/24/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Good voice quality is an asset to professional voice users, including radio performers. We examined whether (1) voices could be reliably categorized as good for the radio and (2) these categories could be predicted using acoustic measures. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS Male radio performers (n = 24) and age-matched male controls performed "The Rainbow Passage" as if presenting on the radio. Voice samples were rated using a three-stage paired-comparison paradigm by 51 naive listeners and perceptual categories were identified (Study 1), and then analyzed for fundamental frequency, long-term average spectrum, cepstral peak prominence, and pause or spoken-phrase duration (Study 2). RESULTS Study 1: Good inter-judge reliability was found for perceptual judgments of the best 15 voices (good for radio category, 14/15 = radio performers), but agreement on the remaining 33 voices (unranked category) was poor. Study 2: Discriminant function analyses showed that the SD standard deviation of sounded portion duration, equivalent sound level, and smoothed cepstral peak prominence predicted membership of categories with moderate accuracy (R2 = 0.328). CONCLUSIONS Radio performers are heterogeneous for voice quality; good voice quality was judged reliably in only 14 out of 24 radio performers. Current acoustic analyses detected some of the relevant signal properties that were salient in these judgments. More refined perceptual analysis and the use of other perceptual methods might provide more information on the complex nature of judging good voices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha Warhurst
- Voice Research Laboratory, Discipline of Speech Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, The University of Sydney, Australia.
| | - Catherine Madill
- Voice Research Laboratory, Discipline of Speech Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, The University of Sydney, Australia
| | - Patricia McCabe
- Voice Research Laboratory, Discipline of Speech Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, The University of Sydney, Australia
| | - Sten Ternström
- Department of Speech, Music and Hearing, School of Computer Science and Communication, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Edwin Yiu
- Voice Research Laboratory, Division of Speech and Hearing Science, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Robert Heard
- Voice Research Laboratory, Discipline of Speech Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, The University of Sydney, Australia
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18
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Sergeant DC, Himonides E. Gender and Music Composition: A Study of Music, and the Gendering of Meanings. Front Psychol 2016; 7:411. [PMID: 27065903 PMCID: PMC4815278 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2015] [Accepted: 03/08/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In this study claims that music communicates gendered meanings are considered, and relevant literature is reviewed. We first discuss the nature of meaning in music, and how it is constructed and construed. Examples of statements of gendering in the literature are cited, and the problems identified by writers who have questioned their validity are considered. We examine the concepts underlying terminology that has been used in inconsistent and contradictory ways. Three hypotheses are posed, and tested by means of two listening tasks. Results are presented that indicate that gendering is not inherent in musical structures, but is contributed to the perceptual event by the listener.
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19
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O'Connor JJM, Jones BC, Fraccaro PJ, Tigue CC, Pisanski K, Feinberg DR. Sociosexual attitudes and dyadic sexual desire independently predict women's preferences for male vocal masculinity. ARCHIVES OF SEXUAL BEHAVIOR 2014; 43:1343-1353. [PMID: 24830906 DOI: 10.1007/s10508-014-0298-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2012] [Revised: 02/06/2014] [Accepted: 02/09/2014] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Research suggests that the desire to behave sexually with a partner (dyadic sexual desire) may reflect desire for intimacy whereas solitary sexual desire may reflect pleasure seeking motivations more generally. Because direct reproductive success can only be increased with a sexual partner, we tested whether dyadic sexual desire was a better predictor of women's preferences for lower pitched men's voices (a marker of relatively high reproductive success) than was solitary sexual desire. In Study 1, women (N = 95) with higher dyadic sexual desire scores on the Sexual Desire Inventory-2 preferred masculinized male voices more than did women with lower dyadic sexual desire scores. We did not find a significant relationship between women's vocal masculinity preferences and their solitary sexual desire scores. In Study 2, we tested whether the relationship between voice preferences and dyadic sexual desire scores was related to differences in sociosexual orientation. Women (N = 80) with more positive attitudes towards uncommitted sex had stronger vocal masculinity preferences regardless of whether men's attractiveness was judged for short-term or long-term relationships. Independent of the effect of sociosexual attitudes, dyadic sexual desire positively predicted women's masculinity preferences when assessing men's attractiveness for short-term but not long-term relationships. These effects were independent of women's own relationship status and hormonal contraceptive use. Our results provide further evidence that women's mate preferences may independently reflect individual differences in both sexual desire and openness to short-term relationships, potentially with the ultimate function of maximizing the fitness benefits of women's mate choices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jillian J M O'Connor
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4L8, Canada,
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O'Connor JJM, Fraccaro PJ, Pisanski K, Tigue CC, Feinberg DR. Men's preferences for women's femininity in dynamic cross-modal stimuli. PLoS One 2013; 8:e69531. [PMID: 23936037 PMCID: PMC3729951 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0069531] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2012] [Accepted: 06/12/2013] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Men generally prefer feminine women's faces and voices over masculine women's faces and voices, and these cross-modal preferences are positively correlated. Men's preferences for female facial and vocal femininity have typically been investigated independently by presenting soundless still images separately from audio-only vocal recordings. For the first time ever, we presented men with short video clips in which dynamic faces and voices were simultaneously manipulated in femininity/masculinity. Men preferred feminine men's faces over masculine men's faces, and preferred masculine men's voices over feminine men's voices. We found that men preferred feminine women's faces and voices over masculine women's faces and voices. Men's attractiveness ratings of both feminine and masculine faces were increased by the addition of vocal femininity. Also, men's attractiveness ratings of feminine and masculine voices were increased by the addition of facial femininity present in the video. Men's preferences for vocal and facial femininity were significantly and positively correlated when stimuli were female, but not when they were male. Our findings complement other evidence for cross-modal femininity preferences among male raters, and show that preferences observed in studies using still images and/or independently presented vocal stimuli are also observed when dynamic faces and voices are displayed simultaneously in video format.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jillian J. M. O'Connor
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Paul J. Fraccaro
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Katarzyna Pisanski
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Cara C. Tigue
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - David R. Feinberg
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
- * E-mail:
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Hodges-Simeon CR, Gurven M, Cárdenas RA, Gaulin SJC. Voice change as a new measure of male pubertal timing: A study among Bolivian adolescents. Ann Hum Biol 2013; 40:209-19. [DOI: 10.3109/03014460.2012.759622] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
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Re DE, O'Connor JJM, Bennett PJ, Feinberg DR. Preferences for very low and very high voice pitch in humans. PLoS One 2012; 7:e32719. [PMID: 22403701 PMCID: PMC3293852 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0032719] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2011] [Accepted: 01/30/2012] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Manipulations of voice pitch have been shown to alter attractiveness ratings, but whether preferences extend to very low or very high voice pitch is unknown. Here, we manipulated voice pitch in averaged men's and women's voices by 2 Hz intervals to create a range of male and female voices speaking monopthong vowel sounds and spanning a range of frequencies from normal to very low and very high pitch. With these voices, we used the method of constant stimuli to measure preferences for voice. Nineteen university students (ages: 20–25) participated in three experiments. On average, men preferred high-pitched women's voices to low-pitched women's voices across all frequencies tested. On average, women preferred men's voices lowered in pitch, but did not prefer very low men's voices. The results of this study may reflect selection pressures for men's and women's voices, and shed light on a perceptual link between voice pitch and vocal attractiveness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel E. Re
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jillian J. M. O'Connor
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Patrick J. Bennett
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - David R. Feinberg
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
- * E-mail:
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O’Connor JJM, Feinberg DR, Fraccaro PJ, Borak DJ, Tigue CC, Re DE, Jones BC, Little AC, Tiddeman B. Female Preferences for Male Vocal and Facial Masculinity in Videos. Ethology 2012. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1439-0310.2011.02013.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
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Simmons LW, Peters M, Rhodes G. Low pitched voices are perceived as masculine and attractive but do they predict semen quality in men? PLoS One 2011; 6:e29271. [PMID: 22216228 PMCID: PMC3244455 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0029271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2011] [Accepted: 11/23/2011] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Women find masculinity in men's faces, bodies, and voices attractive, and women's preferences for men's masculine features are thought to be biological adaptations for finding a high quality mate. Fertility is an important aspect of mate quality. Here we test the phenotype-linked fertility hypothesis, which proposes that male secondary sexual characters are positively related to semen quality, allowing females to obtain direct benefits from mate choice. Specifically, we examined women's preferences for men's voice pitch, and its relationship with men's semen quality. Consistent with previous voice research, women judged lower pitched voices as more masculine and more attractive. However men with lower pitched voices did not have better semen quality. On the contrary, men whose voices were rated as more attractive tended to have lower concentrations of sperm in their ejaculate. These data are more consistent with a trade off between sperm production and male investment in competing for and attracting females, than with the phenotype-linked fertility hypothesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leigh W Simmons
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Animal Biology (M092), University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia.
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