Author
Listed:
- Courtney B. Hilton
(Harvard University
Yale University)
- Cody J. Moser
(Harvard University
University of California, Merced)
- Mila Bertolo
(Harvard University)
- Harry Lee-Rubin
(Harvard University)
- Dorsa Amir
(Boston College Department of Psychology)
- Constance M. Bainbridge
(Harvard University
University of California, Los Angeles)
- Jan Simson
(Harvard University
University of Amsterdam)
- Dean Knox
(The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania)
- Luke Glowacki
(Boston University)
- Elias Alemu
(Jinka University)
- Andrzej Galbarczyk
(Jagiellonian University Medical College)
- Grazyna Jasienska
(Jagiellonian University Medical College)
- Cody T. Ross
(Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology)
- Mary Beth Neff
(Victoria University of Wellington
University of Oslo)
- Alia Martin
(Victoria University of Wellington)
- Laura K. Cirelli
(University of Toronto, Scarborough
University of Toronto, Mississauga)
- Sandra E. Trehub
(University of Toronto, Mississauga)
- Jinqi Song
(University of California, Los Angeles)
- Minju Kim
(University of California, San Diego)
- Adena Schachner
(University of California, San Diego)
- Tom A. Vardy
(University of Auckland)
- Quentin D. Atkinson
(University of Auckland
Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology)
- Amanda Salenius
(Åbo Akademi)
- Jannik Andelin
(Åbo Akademi)
- Jan Antfolk
(Åbo Akademi)
- Purnima Madhivanan
(College of Public Health, University of Arizona
College of Medicine, University of Arizona
College of Medicine, University of Arizona
Public Health Research Institute of India)
- Anand Siddaiah
(Public Health Research Institute of India)
- Caitlyn D. Placek
(Ball State University)
- Gul Deniz Salali
(University College, London)
- Sarai Keestra
(University College, London
Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam)
- Manvir Singh
(Harvard University
Institute for Advanced Study in Toulouse)
- Scott A. Collins
(Arizona State University)
- John Q. Patton
(California State University)
- Camila Scaff
(University of Zurich)
- Jonathan Stieglitz
(Institute for Advanced Study in Toulouse
Université Toulouse)
- Silvia Ccari Cutipa
(Universidad Nacional del Altiplano Puno)
- Cristina Moya
(University of California, Davis
Brunel University, London)
- Rohan R. Sagar
(Future Generations University
Harpy Eagle Music Foundation)
- Mariamu Anyawire
(Mang’ola)
- Audax Mabulla
(University of Dar es Salaam)
- Brian M. Wood
(University of California, Los Angeles)
- Max M. Krasnow
(Harvard University
Harvard University)
- Samuel A. Mehr
(Harvard University
Yale University
Harvard University)
Abstract
When interacting with infants, humans often alter their speech and song in ways thought to support communication. Theories of human child-rearing, informed by data on vocal signalling across species, predict that such alterations should appear globally. Here, we show acoustic differences between infant-directed and adult-directed vocalizations across cultures. We collected 1,615 recordings of infant- and adult-directed speech and song produced by 410 people in 21 urban, rural and small-scale societies. Infant-directedness was reliably classified from acoustic features only, with acoustic profiles of infant-directedness differing across language and music but in consistent fashions. We then studied listener sensitivity to these acoustic features. We played the recordings to 51,065 people from 187 countries, recruited via an English-language website, who guessed whether each vocalization was infant-directed. Their intuitions were more accurate than chance, predictable in part by common sets of acoustic features and robust to the effects of linguistic relatedness between vocalizer and listener. These findings inform hypotheses of the psychological functions and evolution of human communication.
Suggested Citation
Courtney B. Hilton & Cody J. Moser & Mila Bertolo & Harry Lee-Rubin & Dorsa Amir & Constance M. Bainbridge & Jan Simson & Dean Knox & Luke Glowacki & Elias Alemu & Andrzej Galbarczyk & Grazyna Jasiens, 2022.
"Acoustic regularities in infant-directed speech and song across cultures,"
Nature Human Behaviour, Nature, vol. 6(11), pages 1545-1556, November.
Handle:
RePEc:nat:nathum:v:6:y:2022:i:11:d:10.1038_s41562-022-01410-x
DOI: 10.1038/s41562-022-01410-x
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Cited by:
- Nori Jacoby & Rainer Polak & Jessica A. Grahn & Daniel J. Cameron & Kyung Myun Lee & Ricardo Godoy & Eduardo A. Undurraga & Tomás Huanca & Timon Thalwitzer & Noumouké Doumbia & Daniel Goldberg & Eliza, 2024.
"Commonality and variation in mental representations of music revealed by a cross-cultural comparison of rhythm priors in 15 countries,"
Nature Human Behaviour, Nature, vol. 8(5), pages 846-877, May.
- Philippe Albouy & Samuel A. Mehr & Roxane S. Hoyer & Jérémie Ginzburg & Yi Du & Robert J. Zatorre, 2024.
"Spectro-temporal acoustical markers differentiate speech from song across cultures,"
Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-13, December.
- Sam Passmore & Anna L. C. Wood & Chiara Barbieri & Dor Shilton & Hideo Daikoku & Quentin D. Atkinson & Patrick E. Savage, 2024.
"Global musical diversity is largely independent of linguistic and genetic histories,"
Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-12, December.
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