Voice perception, attractiveness, and averageness

声音感知、吸引力和平均度

• 批准号: RGPIN-2018-05708
• 负责人: Feinberg, David
• 金额: $ 2.11万
• 依托单位: McMaster University
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2018
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2018-01-01 至 2019-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=650571
• 关键词: Voice; perception; attractiveness; averageness

Like the alphabet, or DNA, the limited vocal feature base creates an infinite number of unique sounding voices. I have developed a program of research that studies how we translate the configurations of these acoustic features into representations of individuals: what they look like, how old they are, how tall or strong they are, their emotional state, and even their personalities. Many of these perceptions are accurate, but many are not. My research program investigates the seemingly daunting task of determining how we represent voices, whether these perceptions are accurate, and if they are based on learning through experience or general heuristics.******Studies have also shown that both face and voice attractiveness increases with averageness. Explanations of why averaged faces and voices are more attractive centre around universal, biologically-based adaptive preferences or universally possessed cognitive machinery. For example, average faces may be attractive because they may be linked to increased genetic diversity. Because the attractiveness of non-face stimuli is also influenced by averageness, other authors have suggested that increased preferences for averaged faces reflect a byproduct of perceptual or cognitive information-processing mechanisms, or that this byproduct was later exapted for the purpose of mate-choice decisions.******In this grant I will propose to answer questions such as: how many voices are needed to represent a prototype? Do voice prototypes transcend what is spoken? Are attractive voices represented more in prototypes than unattractive voices? What role do facial and physical attractiveness, and biographical information about vocalizers have on prototype formation? What role does experience and valence play on perception of averageness? Is averageness a quality of the sender, perceiver, or both? Are voice preferences learned by conditioning? How are voices represented as they diverge from average?**

就像字母表或DNA一样，有限的声音特征库创造了无限数量的独特声音。我开发了一个研究项目，研究我们如何将这些声学特征的配置转化为个体的表征：他们长什么样，他们多大，他们有多高或多强壮，他们的情绪状态，甚至他们的个性。这些看法中有许多是准确的，但也有许多是不准确的。我的研究项目调查了一项看似艰巨的任务，即确定我们如何代表声音，这些感知是否准确，以及它们是否基于通过经验或一般知识的学习。研究还表明，面部和声音的吸引力随着平均值的增加而增加。为什么平均的面孔和声音更有吸引力的解释围绕着普遍的、基于生物学的适应性偏好或普遍拥有的认知机制。例如，平均的脸可能是有吸引力的，因为它们可能与增加的遗传多样性有关。由于非面部刺激的吸引力也受到平均化的影响，其他作者认为，对平均化面部的偏好增加反映了感知或认知信息处理机制的副产品，或者这种副产品后来被用于配偶选择决策。在这项资助中，我将提议回答这样的问题：需要多少声音来代表一个原型？ 语音原型超越了说话的内容吗？ 有吸引力的声音比没有吸引力的声音在原型中表现得更多吗？ 什么样的角色面部和身体的吸引力，和传记信息发声有原型的形成？经验和效价在平均知觉中扮演什么角色？ 平均是发送者、感知者或两者的品质吗？声音偏好是通过条件反射学习的吗？当声音偏离平均值时，它们是如何被表示的？**