Integrating fundamental and formant frequencies in women's preferences for men's voices

Prior work has emphasized independent effects of voice pitch and apparent vocal tract length on women's preferences for men's voices. An interaction between the effects of pitch and apparent vocal tract length on male vocal attractiveness might be expected, however, given interactions between the effects of voice pitch and apparent vocal tract length on perceptions of body size, age, and sex. Here, we present empirical evidence for such an interaction. Women preferred low pitch in men's voices more when associated with large vocal tracts than when associated with small vocal tracts and preferred large vocal tracts in men's voices more when associated with low pitch than when associated with high pitch. Collectively, these findings demonstrate integration of different vocal cues in women's mate preferences, potentially allowing women to better assess the quality of potential mates. Copyright 2011, Oxford University Press.