UCL Discovery
UCL home » Library Services » Electronic resources » UCL Discovery

Frightened by the perpetrator's voice: Startle responsivity and cognitive processing predict earwitness speaker identification

Schreuder, MJ; Meyer, T; Krix, AC; (2018) Frightened by the perpetrator's voice: Startle responsivity and cognitive processing predict earwitness speaker identification. Biological Psychology , 134 pp. 80-88. 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2018.02.013. Green open access

[thumbnail of Meyer_SchreuderMeyerKrix_BioPsy Accepted.pdf]
Preview
Text
Meyer_SchreuderMeyerKrix_BioPsy Accepted.pdf - Accepted Version

Download (502kB) | Preview

Abstract

This study was inspired by the case of a robbery victim who was startled and reminded of the crime upon hearing a stranger’s voice, while not clearly recognizing the speaker. To investigate whether specific voices can modulate startle reactions and thereby predict speaker identification, we presented an audio hijack scenario to 84 participants and afterwards asked them to identify the perpetrator among neutral and negative speech fragments, while measuring flash-evoked eye-blink startle responses. Furthermore, we addressed data-driven cognitive processing during the audio scenario as a potential moderator in voice discrimination. Negative speech and the perpetrator’s voice led to potentiated startle. Enhanced startle was positively associated with voice discrimination, but only in neutral speech fragments. In negative fragments, this association was weakened as a function of self-reported levels of data-driven processing during encoding. Thus, startle responses can generally predict accurate voice recognition, but speech emotionality and cognitive processing moderate this relationship.

Type: Article
Title: Frightened by the perpetrator's voice: Startle responsivity and cognitive processing predict earwitness speaker identification
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2018.02.013
Publisher version: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsycho.2018.02.013
Language: English
Additional information: This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions.
Keywords: Social Sciences, Science & Technology, Life Sciences & Biomedicine, Psychology, Biological, Behavioral Sciences, Psychology, Psychology, Experimental, Speaker identification, Startle reflex, Skin conductance levels, Cognitive processing style, Traumatic memory, POSTTRAUMATIC-STRESS-DISORDER, INTRUSIVE MEMORIES, INDIVIDUAL-DIFFERENCES, FALSE MEMORY, TRAUMA, PTSD, RETENTION, ASYMMETRY, SYMPTOMS, STIMULI
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Div of Psychology and Lang Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Div of Psychology and Lang Sciences > Clinical, Edu and Hlth Psychology
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10052563
Downloads since deposit
159Downloads
Download activity - last month
Download activity - last 12 months
Downloads by country - last 12 months

Archive Staff Only

View Item View Item