A Study of Human Perception of Intonation in Domestic Cat Meows

Susanne Schötz; Joost van de Weijer

A Study of Human Perception of Intonation in Domestic Cat Meows

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Paper in conference proceeding › peer-review

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Abstract

This study examined human listeners’ ability to classify domestic cat vocalisations (meows) recorded in two different contexts; during feeding time (food related meows) and while waiting to visit a veterinarian (vet related meows). A pitch analysis showed a tendency for food related meows to have rising F0 contours, while vet related meows tended to have more falling F0 contours. 30 listeners judged twelve meows (six of each context) in a perception test. Classification accuracy was significantly above chance, and listeners who had reported previous experience with cats performed significantly better than inexperienced listeners. Moreover, the two food related meows with the highest classification accuracy showed clear rising
F0 contours, while clear falling F0 contours characterised the two vet related meows that received the highest classification accuracy. Listeners also reported that some meows were very easy to classify, while others were more difficult. Taken together, these results suggest that cats may use different intonation patterns in their vocal interaction with humans, and that humans are able to identify the vocalisations based on intonation.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	Social and Linguistic Speech Prosody : Proceedings of the 7th international conference on Speech Prosody
Editors	Nick Campbell, Dafydd Gibbon, Daniel Hirst
Publication status	Published - 2014
Event	Speech Prosody 7 - Dublin, Ireland Duration: 2014 May 20 → 2014 May 23

Publication series

Name
ISSN (Print)	2333-2042

Conference

Conference	Speech Prosody 7
Country/Territory	Ireland
City	Dublin
Period	2014/05/20 → 2014/05/23

Bibliographical note

The information about affiliations in this record was updated in December 2015.
The record was previously connected to the following departments: Linguistics and Phonetics (015010003), Humanities Lab (015101200)

Subject classification (UKÄ)

Comparative Language Studies and Linguistics

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Schotz_vdWeijer_PerceptionOfCatIntonationSP14

http://fastnet.netsoc.ie/sp7/sp7book.pdf

1 Paper in conference proceeding

Phonetic Characteristics of Domestic Cat Vocalisations
Schötz, S., van de Weijer, J. & Eklund, R., 2017 Aug 25, Proceedings of the 1st International Workshop on Vocal interactivity in-and-between Humans, Animals and Robots: VIHAR 2017. Dassow, A., Marxer, R. & Moore, R. K. (eds.). p. 5–6
Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Paper in conference proceeding › peer-review

Open Access

Lund University Humanities Lab
Gullberg, M. (Manager)
Lund University Humanities Lab
Infrastructure

Cite this

@inproceedings{a0ff22b44809426f806af5a7ca28100f,

title = "A Study of Human Perception of Intonation in Domestic Cat Meows",

abstract = "This study examined human listeners{\textquoteright} ability to classify domestic cat vocalisations (meows) recorded in two different contexts; during feeding time (food related meows) and while waiting to visit a veterinarian (vet related meows). A pitch analysis showed a tendency for food related meows to have rising F0 contours, while vet related meows tended to have more falling F0 contours. 30 listeners judged twelve meows (six of each context) in a perception test. Classification accuracy was significantly above chance, and listeners who had reported previous experience with cats performed significantly better than inexperienced listeners. Moreover, the two food related meows with the highest classification accuracy showed clear rising F0 contours, while clear falling F0 contours characterised the two vet related meows that received the highest classification accuracy. Listeners also reported that some meows were very easy to classify, while others were more difficult. Taken together, these results suggest that cats may use different intonation patterns in their vocal interaction with humans, and that humans are able to identify the vocalisations based on intonation.",

author = "Susanne Sch{\"o}tz and {van de Weijer}, Joost",

note = "The information about affiliations in this record was updated in December 2015. The record was previously connected to the following departments: Linguistics and Phonetics (015010003), Humanities Lab (015101200); Speech Prosody 7 ; Conference date: 20-05-2014 Through 23-05-2014",

year = "2014",

language = "English",

editor = "Nick Campbell and Dafydd Gibbon and Daniel Hirst",

booktitle = "Social and Linguistic Speech Prosody : Proceedings of the 7th international conference on Speech Prosody",

}

A Study of Human Perception of Intonation in Domestic Cat Meows. / Schötz, Susanne ; van de Weijer, Joost.
Social and Linguistic Speech Prosody : Proceedings of the 7th international conference on Speech Prosody. ed. / Nick Campbell; Dafydd Gibbon; Daniel Hirst. 2014.

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Paper in conference proceeding › peer-review

TY - GEN

T1 - A Study of Human Perception of Intonation in Domestic Cat Meows

AU - Schötz, Susanne

AU - van de Weijer, Joost

N1 - The information about affiliations in this record was updated in December 2015. The record was previously connected to the following departments: Linguistics and Phonetics (015010003), Humanities Lab (015101200)

PY - 2014

Y1 - 2014

N2 - This study examined human listeners’ ability to classify domestic cat vocalisations (meows) recorded in two different contexts; during feeding time (food related meows) and while waiting to visit a veterinarian (vet related meows). A pitch analysis showed a tendency for food related meows to have rising F0 contours, while vet related meows tended to have more falling F0 contours. 30 listeners judged twelve meows (six of each context) in a perception test. Classification accuracy was significantly above chance, and listeners who had reported previous experience with cats performed significantly better than inexperienced listeners. Moreover, the two food related meows with the highest classification accuracy showed clear rising F0 contours, while clear falling F0 contours characterised the two vet related meows that received the highest classification accuracy. Listeners also reported that some meows were very easy to classify, while others were more difficult. Taken together, these results suggest that cats may use different intonation patterns in their vocal interaction with humans, and that humans are able to identify the vocalisations based on intonation.

AB - This study examined human listeners’ ability to classify domestic cat vocalisations (meows) recorded in two different contexts; during feeding time (food related meows) and while waiting to visit a veterinarian (vet related meows). A pitch analysis showed a tendency for food related meows to have rising F0 contours, while vet related meows tended to have more falling F0 contours. 30 listeners judged twelve meows (six of each context) in a perception test. Classification accuracy was significantly above chance, and listeners who had reported previous experience with cats performed significantly better than inexperienced listeners. Moreover, the two food related meows with the highest classification accuracy showed clear rising F0 contours, while clear falling F0 contours characterised the two vet related meows that received the highest classification accuracy. Listeners also reported that some meows were very easy to classify, while others were more difficult. Taken together, these results suggest that cats may use different intonation patterns in their vocal interaction with humans, and that humans are able to identify the vocalisations based on intonation.

M3 - Paper in conference proceeding

BT - Social and Linguistic Speech Prosody : Proceedings of the 7th international conference on Speech Prosody

A2 - Campbell, Nick

A2 - Gibbon, Dafydd

A2 - Hirst, Daniel

T2 - Speech Prosody 7

Y2 - 20 May 2014 through 23 May 2014

ER -

A Study of Human Perception of Intonation in Domestic Cat Meows

Abstract

Publication series

Conference

Bibliographical note

Subject classification (UKÄ)

Access to Document

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Research output

Phonetic Characteristics of Domestic Cat Vocalisations

Equipment

Lund University Humanities Lab

Cite this