How Does Our Voice Reflect Who We Are? Connecting the Voice and the Self Using Implicit Association Tests

Abstract

PurposeThis study examined the contribution of voice to the self via implicit associations. MethodAn implicit association test (IAT) of the voice and the self was created and presented to vocal performers and community controls. One-hundred eleven participants completed this voice-self IAT, the Vocal Congruence Scale (VCS), and the Voice Handicap Index (VHI) via an in-person, monitored, and timed Qualtrics survey. Student t tests comparing timing differences between congruent and incongruent conditions revealed the presence of an implicit relationship. ResultsThe findings demonstrated an implicit relationship between the voice and the self as measured using the IAT. Strength of implicit relationships between self and voice was significantly greater for community controls than vocal performers. Additionally, this IAT revealed divergent validity with the VCS, and the VHI using Spearman’s correlation. ConclusionImplications suggest that even if overt declarations are absent, individuals with an implicit voice-self relationship rely on their voice to contribute to their sense of self. This implicit relationship is greater for community members than vocal performers.