Fouquet, Pisanski et al 2016 - Seven and Up.pdf (509.21 kB)
Seven and up: individual differences in male voice fundamental frequency emerge before puberty and remain stable throughout adulthood
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posted on 2023-06-09, 02:51 authored by Meddy Fouquet, Katarzyna Pisanski, Nicolas Mathevon, David RebyVoice pitch (the perceptual correlate of fundamental frequency, F0) varies considerably even among individuals of the same sex and age, communicating a host of socially and evolutionarily relevant information. However, due to the almost exclusive utilization of cross-sectional designs in previous studies, it remains unknown whether these individual differences in voice pitch emerge before, during or after sexual maturation, and whether voice pitch remains stable into adulthood. Here, we measured the F0 parameters of men who were recorded once every 7 years from age 7 to 56 as they participated in the British television documentary Up Series. Linear mixed models revealed significant effects of age on all F0 parameters, wherein F0 mean, minimum, maximum and the standard deviation of F0 showed sharp pubertal decreases between age 7 and 21, yet remained remarkably stable after age 28. Critically, men's pre-pubertal F0 at age 7 strongly predicted their F0 at every subsequent adult age, explaining up to 64% of the variance in post-pubertal F0. This finding suggests that between-individual differences in voice pitch that are known to play an important role in men's reproductive success are in fact largely determined by age 7, and may therefore be linked to prenatal and/or pre-pubertal androgen exposure.
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Publication status
- Published
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- Published version
Journal
Royal Society Open ScienceISSN
2054-5703Publisher
Royal SocietyExternal DOI
Issue
10Volume
3Page range
160395Department affiliated with
- Psychology Publications
Full text available
- Yes
Peer reviewed?
- Yes
Legacy Posted Date
2016-09-13First Open Access (FOA) Date
2016-10-26First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date
2016-10-26Usage metrics
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