Collaborative Research: Psychological and Behavioral Preparatory Responses to Male Aggressive Vocal Signaling

合作研究：对男性攻击性声音信号的心理和行为准备反应

• 批准号: 1551940
• 负责人: Carolyn Hodges-Simeon
• 金额: $ 7.34万
• 依托单位: Trustees of Boston University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2016
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2016-07-01 至 2021-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1551940&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Psychological; Behavioral; Preparatory

Personal aggression has serious consequences yet often starts with seemingly trivial verbal disputes ("I don't like your tone"). These verbal conflicts are common between both acquaintances and strangers. Some of these conflicts quickly end with one party standing down, but others escalate verbally to physical, even fatal, fights. What role do vocal qualities (not what people say, but physical aspects of the voice) play in determining whether a verbal dispute becomes a fight? Research on other animals indicates that vocal qualities often give information about physical strength and aggressive intentions, which can predict fight outcomes and thus affect an individual's motivation to fight. For example, previous research shows that men with lower pitched voices are judged as being more likely to win fistfights than men with less deep voices. In this case, pitch is a way to manipulate "signal intensity", which evolutionary theory suggests would convey important cues useful to a potential attacker. An intense signal conveys the speaker is more motivated to aggress or is physically stronger than would a weaker signal. Theory suggests that the listener's likelihood of retreating or attacking should be affected by perceptions of the voice, but research has not yet tested those hypotheses in humans. Thus this project builds on previous findings about perceiving voices, to extend it to people's preparation to aggress. The investigators use experiments to create mildly competitive situations and examine whether signal speaker's vocal features affects listeners' aggressive inclinations. Understanding how vocal qualities can reduce or increase aggression will help professionals who are regularly exposed to violence (e.g., police officers) to navigate danger, and inform intervention programs that aim at curtailing violence.This project tests key hypotheses drawn from M. Enquist's retaliation-cost model, a leading model of aggressive communication in animals. The investigators will measure people's psychological and physical responses to vocal features that serve as strong or weak signals to aggressive intent or aggressive ability. In three sets of experiments, the investigators will manipulate whether the signal intensity of a male speaker's voice is strong or weak. Experiment Set 1 also manipulates facial dominance of the speaker, and whether the topic of his expressed anger is of significant or minimal value. Interactions of the three manipulated variables are predicted to affect listener's judgments about aggressive intent. Experiment Set 2 will test how listeners' physical strength and cues of competition for mates influence their attention to and memory of the speaker. Experiment Set 3 extends the Set 2 by focusing on listeners' aggressive thinking and preparation (e.g., immediate increases in physical strength) in response to hearing signals of strong versus weak intensity. To enhance the validity of the project, the investigators will recruit police officers to participate in Experiment Set 1. To facilitate cross-cultural comparisons, the investigators will perform parallel experiments in China, a country with much lower homicide rates than the U.S. This project will provide a deeper understanding of the evolution and function of voice pitch in aggressive interactions.

个人侵略会带来严重的后果，但通常始于看似琐碎的言语争端（“我不喜欢你的语气”）。这些言语冲突在熟人和陌生人之间都是普遍的。这些冲突中的一些很快以一个政党站立而结束，而另一些则在口头上升级为身体，甚至致命的战斗。声音品质（不是人们说的话，而是声音的身体方面）在确定口头争端是否成为战斗中起着什么作用？对其他动物的研究表明，声音素质通常提供有关身体力量和侵略性意图的信息，这些信息可以预测战斗结果，从而影响个人的战斗动机。例如，先前的研究表明，宣传声音较低的男性比声音较少的男人更有可能赢得拳战。在这种情况下，音调是操纵“信号强度”的一种方式，进化论认为这将传达对潜在攻击者有用的重要提示。 强烈的信号传达了扬声器的动力，或者比弱信号更强大或身体强。理论表明，听众撤退或攻击的可能性应受到对声音的看法的影响，但是研究尚未检验人类中的这些假设。因此，该项目以先前关于感知声音的发现为基础，以将其扩展到人们的准备。研究人员使用实验来创造温和竞争的情况，并检查信号说话者的声音特征是否会影响听众的侵略性。了解声音素质如何减少或提高侵略性将有助于经常接触暴力的专业人员（例如，警察）驾驶危险，并为旨在减少暴力行为的干预计划提供信息。该项目测试来自M. Enquist的报复型模型，这是一种重要的假设，这是一种在动物中的侵略性沟通模型。调查人员将衡量人们对人声特征的心理和身体反应，这些人声特征是对积极意图或攻击能力的强大或弱信号。在三组实验中，调查人员将操纵男性说话者声音的信号强度是强的还是弱的。实验集1还操纵说话者的面部主导地位，以及他表达的愤怒的主题是重要的还是最少的。预计这三个操纵变量的相互作用会影响听众对积极意图的判断。实验集2将测试听众的身体力量和竞争的线索如何影响他们对说话者的关注和记忆。实验集3通过专注于听众的侵略性思维和准备（例如，身体强度的立即增加）来扩展集合2，以响应强度强度和弱强度的听力信号。为了提高该项目的有效性，调查人员将招募警察参加实验集1。为了促进跨文化的比较，调查人员将在中国进行平行的实验，中国的凶杀率要低得多的国家，该项目将为我们对侵略性互动的演变和功能更深入地了解。