Abstract
This study examines people's first impressions of voices of various ethnic origin and recognizability from identification line-ups. It was hypothesized that voices that were easily recognized would be perceived more negatively than less recognizable ones, fitting the “bad guy” stereotype. Forty English native speakers rated the voices of 12 male speakers for attractiveness, extraversion, dominance, kindness, intelligence, success, goodness, as well as for several voice characteristics (i.e., melody, clarity, nervousness). The recognizability categorization process (low-, medium-, and high-recognizability groups) was determined from accuracy rates collected in a different study. A significant effect for recognizability was found on first impressions. Partially in line with the hypothesis, voices low in recognizability were rated more positively than voices whose recognizability was high. Attributes in which high-recognizability voices differed significantly from the other voices concerned nervousness, morality, and social desirability. Practical recommendations are given for real-life voice identification line-ups.
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