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Vocalizations are ideal identity signals

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 April 2025

Juliet C. Barry ,
Edward H. Hagen  and
Samuel A. Mehr Open the ORCID record for Samuel A. Mehr [Opens in a new window]
Juliet C. Barry
Affiliation:
School of Psychology, University of Auckland, Auckland, CBD, New Zealand [email protected]
Edward H. Hagen
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA [email protected] https://anthro.vancouver.wsu.edu/people/hagen/
Samuel A. Mehr*
Affiliation:
School of Psychology, University of Auckland, Auckland, CBD, New Zealand [email protected] Child Study Center, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA [email protected] https://mehr.nz
*
*Corresponding author.
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Abstract

If human societies are understood as identity groups, then our psychology should include design for the production and detection of credible identity signals. We argue that vocalizations are ideal identity signals because the human auditory system is sensitive to subtle acoustic features; vocal signals are efficient; and speech and song are highly complex, enabling the embedding therein of identity signals.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 48 , 2025 , e53
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Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press

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