Listener Perceptions of Women With Voice Disorders: Vocal Stereotyping and Negative Personality Attribution

Purpose. The purpose of the study was to determine if the age and amount of background knowledge of listeners affects perceptual judgments of women with voice disorders. Method. Forty participants in three different age groups (children, young adults, and older adults) rated five female voice samples representing various types of dysphonia. One group of young adults had background knowledge of voice disorders based on a graduate-level course in Voice Disorders. A semantic differential scale was used to rate the speakers on 24 attributes. Results. Results indicated that age of listeners was not a significant factor, and that listeners' ratings depended on the specific type of dysphonia. No significant differences emerged between the perceptions of individuals with and without background knowledge of voice disorders. Discussion. This study agrees with the findings of similar research showing that listeners judge speakers with voice disorders more negatively than they do those with normal voices. This is so regardless of the age and background knowledge of the listener.