Voice-only communication enhances empathic accuracy

Kraus, Michael W.

doi:10.1037/amp0000147

Cited by 162Tactile and Sensory InteractionsLanguage, Discourse, Communication StrategiesEmotion and Mood Recognition

Voice-only communication enhances empathic accuracy

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Kraus, Michael W.·2017·American Psychologist

DOI 10.1037/amp0000147

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Abstract

This research tests the prediction that voice-only communication increases empathic accuracy over communication across senses. We theorized that people often intentionally communicate their feelings and internal states through the voice, and as such, voice-only communication allows perceivers to focus their attention on the channel of communication most active and accurate in conveying emotions to others. We used 5 experiments to test this hypothesis (N = 1,772), finding that voice-only communication elicits higher rates of empathic accuracy relative to vision-only and multisense communication both while engaging in interactions and perceiving emotions in recorded interactions of strangers. Experiments 4 and 5 reveal that voice-only communication is particularly likely to enhance empathic accuracy through increasing focused attention on the linguistic and paralinguistic vocal cues that accompany speech. Overall, the studies question the primary role of the face in communication of emotion, and offer new insights for improving emotion recognition accuracy in social interactions. (PsycINFO Database Record

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“There are even circumstances under which observers may be more accurate when hearing a communicator speak than when hearing and seeing her [7].”
From Two social lives: how differences between online and offline interaction influence social outcomes (2020) · cites this paper as [7]

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Empathic Accuracy: are people more accurate in perceiving basic emotions using voice-only communication?
Futoma, K., & Tanaś, Ł. (2020) · doi:10.13140/rg.2.2.21219.37920
What is a meaningful improvement in emotion detection? Reply to Rossiter (2018).
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Empathic Accuracy
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The contribution of linguistic and visual cues to physiological synchrony and empathic accuracy
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Authors: Kraus, M. W.
Affiliations: Yale University (US)
Corresponding author: Kraus, Michael W.
ORCID: Kraus, Michael W.
Venue: American Psychologist
Publisher: American Psychological Association (APA)
Published: 2017-10
Volume: 72
Issue: 7
Pages: 644-654
ISSN: 0003-066X (ISSN-L)
1935-990X
DOI: 10.1037/amp0000147
OpenAlex: W2762093149
Cited by: 162
References: 54
Citations by year: 2026: 18 · 2025: 20 · 2024: 16 · 2023: 20 · 2022: 18 · 2021: 12 · 2020: 13 · 2019: 18 · 2018: 27
FWCI: 8.99
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: green
doi.org
Licence: public-domain
Locations: American Psychologist (publishedVersion)
PubMed (publishedVersion)
OSF Preprints (OSF Preprints) (submittedVersion, public-domain)
PsyArXiv (OSF Preprints) (submittedVersion)
OSF Preprints (OSF Preprints) (submittedVersion)
PsyArXiv (OSF Preprints) (submittedVersion, public-domain)
Topics: Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Tactile and Sensory Interactions
Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Language and Linguistics › Language, Discourse, Communication Strategies
Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Emotion and Mood Recognition
Keywords: empathic accuracy, emotion perception, multisensory communication, paralinguistic cues, vocal cues, attentional focus, emotion recognition
MeSH terms: Adult, Empathy, Female, Humans, Interpersonal Relations, Male, Social Perception, Speech, Voice

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