Pisanski et al 2016 Biology Letters - Uncorr. Proofs.pdf (167 kB)
Can blind persons accurately assess body size from the voice?
journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-09, 01:10 authored by Katarzyna Pisanski, Anna Oleszkiewicz, Agnieszka SorokowskaVocal tract resonances provide reliable information about a speaker’s body size that human listeners utilize for biosocial judgments as well as speech recognition. Although humans can accurately assess men’s relative body size from the voice alone, how this ability is acquired remains unknown. In the present study we test the prediction that accurate voice-based size estimation is possible without prior audiovisual experience linking low frequencies to large bodies. Ninety-one healthy congenitally or early blind, late blind, and sighted adults (aged 20-65) participated in the study. On the basis of vowel sounds alone, participants assessed the relative body sizes of male pairs of varying heights. Accuracy of voice-based body size assessments significantly exceeded chance and did not differ among participants who were sighted, congenitally blind, or lost their sight later in life. Accuracy increased significantly with relative differences in physical height between men, suggesting that both blind and sighted participants utilized reliable vocal cues to size (i.e., vocal tract resonances). Our findings demonstrate that prior visual experience is not necessary for accurate body size estimation. This capacity, integral to both nonverbal communication and speech perception, may be present at birth or may generalize from broader cross-modal correspondences.
History
Publication status
- Published
File Version
- Accepted version
Journal
Biology LettersISSN
1744-9561Publisher
The Royal SocietyExternal DOI
Issue
4Volume
12Page range
20160063Department affiliated with
- Psychology Publications
Full text available
- Yes
Peer reviewed?
- Yes
Legacy Posted Date
2016-05-09First Open Access (FOA) Date
2017-04-19First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date
2016-05-09Usage metrics
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