Influence of voice properties on vowel perception depends on speaker context.

Different speakers produce the same intended vowel with very different physical properties. Fundamental frequency (F) and formant frequencies (F), the two main parameters that discriminate between voices, also influence vowel perception. While it has been shown that listeners comprehend speech more accurately if they are familiar with a talker's voice, it is still unclear how such prior information is used when decoding the speech stream. In three online experiments, we examined the influence of speaker context via F and F shifts on the perception of /o/-/u/ vowel contrasts. Participants perceived vowels from an /o/-/u/ continuum shifted toward /u/ when F was lowered or F increased relative to the original speaker's voice and vice versa. This shift was reduced when the speakers were presented in a block-wise context compared to random order. Conversely, the original base voice was perceived to be shifted toward /u/ when presented in the context of a low F or high F speaker, compared to a shift toward /o/ with high F or low F speaker context. These findings demonstrate that that F and F jointly influence vowel perception in speaker context.