Recognition memory for accented and unaccented voices

Abstract

Laboratory research has established that face recognition memory performance for ownrace faces is better than for other-race faces. Three studies are reported exploring the possibility that the other-race effect will generalize to voice recognition memory. Recognition memory performance for non-native American speakers speaking both English and their native languages was compared with memory for native American speakers. With relatively long speech samples, accented voices were no more difficult to recognize than were unaccented voices; reducing the speech sample duration decreased recognition memory for accented and unaccented voices, but the reduction was greater for accented voices.

The effect of removing linguistic information upon identifying speakers of a foreign language

“…The study by Goldstein et al (1981) supports the hypothesis that accented voices are more difficult to recognize than unaccented voices, but the evidence for a foreign-language effect in SID does not seem to be particularly strong. However, the conclusion that 'voice recognition is just as good (or as poor) for foreign voices as it is for native voices' seems premature to us since their second experiment revealed a significant effect for the Chinese speakers.…”

“…In their second experiment, however, Goldstein et al (1981) reduced the length of the speech material to which listeners were exposed before they performed the recognition task. The reduction of the speech stimulus to a single word had the effect of reducing the overall percentage of correctly recognized voices considerably, especially for the Chinese target voices.…”

“…This result suggests that reduced length of stimulus materials has a greater effect on voice recognition for accented than for unaccented voices. Goldstein et al (1981) also tested listeners' recognition memory performance for voices speaking in a foreign language compared to English with a strong foreign accent. Speakers of General American English without any knowledge of Spanish listened to two native Spanish speakers saying either a sentence in accented English or in Spanish.…”

“…In an experimental study by Goldstein et al (1981), recognition of unfamiliar voices was tested experimentally under different conditions. In particular, the listeners' task was to recognize speakers 'with and without accented voices' as well as speakers speaking in a foreign language.'…”

Evaluation of a foreign speaker in forensic phonetics: a report

“…I In such cases, a question arises concerning the degree to which the nativelanguage background of the witness influences his or her ability to recognize a speaker audirorily, Very little empirical data are available on this topic to date. Goldstein et al (1981) reported an experiment in which subjects (native American English listeners) were asked to identify voices with and © Routledge 1996 ForensicLinguistics3 (I) 1996: 176--185 1350--1771 without a foreign accent. Results showed that they performed equally well in recognizing accented and non-accented voices.…”