Telephone Transmission and Earwitnesses: Performance on Voice Parades Controlled for Voice Similarity

Abstract

The effect of telephone transmission on a listener's ability to recognise a speaker in a voice parade is investigated. A hundred listeners (25 per condition) heard 1 of 5 ‘target' voices, then returned a week later for a voice parade. The 4 conditions were: target exposure and parade both at studio quality; exposure and parade both at telephone quality; studio exposure with telephone parade, and vice versa. Fewer correct identifications followed from telephone exposure and parade (64%) than from studio exposure and parade (76%). Fewer still resulted for studio exposure/telephone parade (60%) and, dramatically, only 32% for telephone exposure/studio parade. Certain speakers were identified more readily than others across all conditions. Confidence ratings reflected this effect of speaker, but not the effect of exposure/parade condition.