Comprehending the Neurological Substratum of Paraverbal Communications: The Invention of SplitSpec Technology

Abstract

An earlier book chapter (Gregory 1999) reviewed the specific background of our investigations into the social significance and neurology of the lower speech frequency in human communication. This lower speech frequency, termed the paraverbal frequency (beneath.5 kHz), was found to convey important nonverbal social information, and the previously published chapter outlined the methodology and results of numerous experiments showing how the paraverbal signal differs from the verbal; specifically, how it acts as an elemental mechanism of social status accommodation and social convergence between conversation partners. The present chapter will continue from where the last chapter left off and aims first to merge our past results and observations with a theoretical account making use of pertinent findings from physical anthropology, cognitive psychology, and neurology. With the theoretical background established, we will then review how our research led to the development of a technological innovation called “SplitSpec Technology,” and how this innovation will fit into the future of human electronic communications.