Low frequency components (i.e. a low pitch (F0) and low formant spacing (ΔF)) signal high salivary testosterone and height in adult male voices and are associated with high masculinity attributions by unfamiliar listeners (in both men and women). However, the relation between the physiological, acoustic and perceptual dimensions of speakers' masculinity prior to puberty remains unknown. In this study, 110 pre-pubertal children (58 girls), aged 3 to 10, were recorded as they described a cartoon picture. 315 adults (182 women) rated children's perceived masculinity from the voice only after listening to the speakers' audio recordings. On the basis of their voices alone, boys who had higher salivary testosterone levels were rated as more masculine and the relation between testosterone and perceived masculinity was partially mediated by F0. The voices of taller boys were also rated as more masculine, but the relation between height and perceived masculinity was not mediated by the considered acoustic parameters, indicating that acoustic cues other than F0 and ΔF may signal stature. Both boys and girls who had lower F0, were also rated as more masculine, while ΔF did not affect ratings. These findings highlight the interdependence of physiological, acoustic and perceptual dimensions, and suggest that inter-individual variation in male voices, particularly F0, may advertise hormonal masculinity from a very early age.

中文翻译：

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儿童声音中男性气质的生理和知觉相关性。

低频成分（即低音调（F0）和低共振峰间隔（ΔF））表示成年男性声音中唾液睾丸激素和身高较高，并且与陌生听众（男性和女性）的男性气质特征有关。然而，在青春期之前说话者男性气质的生理，声学和知觉尺寸之间的关系仍然未知。在这项研究中，记录了110名3到10岁的青春期前儿童（58名女孩），因为他们描述了一张卡通照片。315名成年人（182名妇女）仅在听了演讲者的录音后，才根据声音对儿童的男性气质做出评价。仅凭自己的声音，唾液中睾丸激素水平较高的男孩被认为是男性较多，而睾丸激素与男性气质之间的关系部分由F0介导。高个男孩的声音也被认为是男性，但身高和男性气质之间的关系并没有通过考虑的声学参数来调节，这表明除F0和ΔF以外的其他声学线索可能表明身材。F0较低的男孩和女孩也被评为男性较多，而ΔF则不影响评级。这些发现突显了生理，声学和知觉维度之间的相互依存关系，并表明男性声音之间的个体差异，尤其是F0，可能在很早的时候就引起了荷尔蒙阳刚之气。F0较低的男孩和女孩也被评为男性较多，而ΔF则不影响评级。这些发现突显了生理，声学和知觉维度之间的相互依存关系，并表明男性声音之间的个体差异，尤其是F0，可能在很早的时候就引起了荷尔蒙阳刚之气。F0较低的男孩和女孩也被评为男性较多，而ΔF则不影响评级。这些发现突显了生理，声学和知觉维度之间的相互依存关系，并表明男性声音之间的个体差异，尤其是F0，可能在很早的时候就引起了荷尔蒙阳刚之气。