In today's episode we are joined by Dr. Erik Tracy, of UNCP's Department of Psychology, to discuss his research into how we process information when we listen to speech. Dr. Tracy shares how we assume personality characteristics of a speaker, based on a variety of elements in the voice, such as variation of pitch, timbre, and other characteristics. These assumptions cause us to automatically attempt to categorize what we hear, based on characteristics such as gender and sexual orientation. Dr. Tracy studies how words, and even smaller divisions of sounds within the words, are perceived by research subjects. This study of speech is part of the larger field of cognitive psychology, which studies how humans perceive and process information, such as language and physical characteristics. 

Dr. Tracy supervises research students in the Psychology Department and teaches courses including Introductory Psychology, Sensation and Perception, and History and Systems of Psychology. A native of Buffalo, New York, Dr. Tracy received his B.A. in Psychology from the University of Buffalo and his PhD in Cognitive Experimental Psychology from The Ohio State University.  When he is not studying our reactions to voices, he likes to go to the gym, watch movies, collect action figures, and spend time with his husband, Jeff, and daughter, Adora.

Find the episode transcript here

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