Emotion state manifestation in voice features: Chimpanzees, human infants, children, adults

Abstract

The goal of the study is to investigate how emotional states of human and chimpanzees are manifested in the voice features. The participants of this study were 5 infants aged 3 months and 12months, 30 children from 3 years to 7 years old, 10 adult actors, 5 chimpanzees aged 3–17 years, and 360 adults listeners of vocalizations and speech. Perceptual and spectrographic analysis methods were used. The reflection of the discomfort state in the infants vocalizations, in the speech of 3–4 years old children, in actors meaningless speech, and state of anger, fear and sadness in vocalizations of chimpanzees and actors speech of different language were recognized by listeners better than reflection in the voice of comfort and joy state. The pitch values, its variability, the values of the third “emotional” formant, and duration are important acoustical features for the recognition of participants state of discomfort in the voice.