Acoustic correlates of human responses to domestic cat (feliscatus) vocalizations

As part of ongoing research on coevolution of vocal communication between humans and domestic cats, perceptual data were collected on participants as they listened to recorded cat vocalizations. In experiment 1, human subjects were asked to rate the pleasantness of 100 meows along a 7‐point scale, from most to least pleasant. In experiment 2, a different group of participants was asked to rate the urgency of the same meows along a 7‐point scale, from most to least urgent. Linear regression analysis of the results showed a strong inverse correlation between pleasantness and urgency. Acoustic correlates of pleasantness included reduced frequency modulation, a downward shift in fundamental frequency, and fewer noisy segments. Correlates of urgency included increased duration, higher Wiener entropy, and acute spectral tilt. It is speculated that humans’ affective responses to these acoustic qualities, in conjunction with contextual cues, may form the basis of the communication of more specific meanings by cat...