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The pitch of babies’ cries predicts their voice pitch at age five
journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-09, 14:01 authored by Florence Levrero, Nicholas Mathevon, Katarzyna Pisanski, Erik Gustafsson, David RebyVoice pitch (fundamental frequency, F0) is a key dimension of our voice that varies Voice pitch (fundamental frequency, F0) is a key dimension of our voice that varies before and after puberty. While a recent longitudinal study indicates that inter-individual differences in voice pitch remain stable in men during adulthood and may even be determined before puberty [1], whether these differences emerge in infancy remains unknown. Here, using a longitudinal study design, we investigate the hypothesis that inter-individual differences in F0 are already present in the cries of pre-verbal babies. While based on a small sample (n = 15), our results indicate that the F0 of babies’ cries at 4 months of age may predict the F0 of their speech utterances at 5 years of age, explaining 41% of the inter-individual variance in voice pitch at that age in our sample. We also found that the right-hand ratio of the length of their index to ring finger (2D:4D digit ratio), which has been proposed to constitute an index of prenatal testosterone exposure, was positively correlated with F0 at both 4 months and 5 years of age. These findings suggest that a substantial proportion of between-individual differences in voice pitch, which convey important biosocial information about speakers, may partly originate in utero and thus already be present soon after birth.
History
Publication status
- Published
File Version
- Accepted version
Journal
Biology LettersISSN
1744-9561Publisher
Royal Society, TheExternal DOI
Issue
7Volume
14Department affiliated with
- Psychology Publications
Full text available
- Yes
Peer reviewed?
- Yes
Legacy Posted Date
2018-07-02First Open Access (FOA) Date
2018-07-11First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date
2018-06-29Usage metrics
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