Project Details
Projekt
Vocal Stereotypes toward Women and Men Diverging in Sexual Orientations: A Combination of Production-Related and Perceptive Approaches
Applicant
Dr. Sven Kachel
Subject Area
Social Psychology, Industrial and Organisational Psychology
General and Comparative Linguistics, Experimental Linguistics, Typology, Non-European Languages
General and Comparative Linguistics, Experimental Linguistics, Typology, Non-European Languages
Term
from 2019 to 2023
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 415928944
Vocal stereotypes of sexual orientations are well-known and, for example, perpetuated by representations in the media (e.g., gay nasal). Studies following producer-related approaches investigate the accuracy of vocal stereotypes by focusing on acoustic differences between speakers. They ask whether and how the voice characteristics of lesbian/gay and straight differ – more rarely referring to women than to men. Evidence of previous studies is inconclusive. Our own preliminary work indicates that context factors play an important role. Aim 1 of the present proposal is to illuminate the inconsistent evidence by including speech-based and situational context factors and relating them to speakers’ psychological features (e.g., speech-based context factors: text topics; situational context factors: interlocutors’ gender; psychological features: speakers’ self-ascribed masculinity/femininity). Studies following perceptive approaches investigate the content of vocal stereotypes by correlating listeners’ ratings of speakers’ sexual orientations with speakers’ voice characteristics. To elucidate the evidence that is inconsistent as well, Aim 2 is to use an experimental approach on the auditory perception of sexual orientation. Thereby, we introduce the novel approach of voice morphing to this research area and thus test which voice parameters contribute to sexual-orientation classification. For instance, selected acoustic parameters (e.g., fundamental frequency) of straight voices are transformed to those of lesbian/gay voices to different degrees while keeping all other acoustic parameters constant. Subsequently, sexual orientations of the morphs are assessed by a sample of listeners. By combining production-related and perceptive approaches, possible discrepancies between expression (speakers) and perception (listeners) of sexual orientation can be identified. Additionally, the auditory perception of sexual orientation is realistically conceptualized as a communicative act. Aim 3 of the present proposal is to conduct a meta-analysis, based on these and all published studies, and thus revise the Expression and Perception of Sexual Orientation Model that the first PI developed in his doctoral dissertation. The superordinate aim of the present proposal is to explain under which conditions stereotyped speech is used to mark sexual orientations and which voice parameters cause a certain sexual orientation impression. Thereby, fundamentals for evidence-based anti-discrimination work and logopedic-speech therapeutic interventions can be established.
DFG Programme
Research Grants
