Emergency medical triage decisions are swayed by computermanipulated cues of physical dominance in caller’s voice
Category
Journal Article
Authors
Boidron, L., Boudenia, K., Avena, C., Boucheix, J.M., Aucouturie, J.J.
Year
2016
Title
Emergency medical triage decisions are swayed by computermanipulated cues of physical dominance in caller’s voice
Journal / book / conference
Scientific Reports
Abstract
In humans as well as other animals, displays of body strength such as power postures or deep masculine
voices are associated with prevalence in conflicts of interest and facilitated access to resources.
We conduct here an ecological and highly critical test of this hypothesis in a domain that, on first
thought, would appear to be shielded from such influences: access to emergency medical care. Using
acoustic manipulations of vocal masculinity, we systematically varied the perceived level of physical
dominance of mock patients calling a medical call center simulator. Callers whose voice were perceived
as indicative of physical dominance (i.e. those with low fundamental and formant frequency voices)
obtained a higher grade of response, a higher evaluation of medical emergency and longer attention
from physicians than callers with strictly identical medical needs whose voice signaled lower physical
dominance. Strikingly, while the effect was important for physician participants, it was virtually
non-existent when calls were processed by non-medically-trained phone operators. This finding
demonstrates an unprecedented degree of vulnerability of telephone-based medical decisions to extramedical
factors carried by vocal cues, and shows that it may not simply be assumed that more medical
training will shield decisions from such influences.
Issue
6:30219 |
Pages
1-7