Different-sex background voices boost speech intelligibility by up to 40 percent at low SNRs

Evidence

Brokx and Nooteboom (1982) demonstrated that speech intelligibility for sentences improves with an increasing f0 difference between speech and a speech interferer. These benefits generalize to benefits from perceiving speech from different talkers, and are particularly beneficial at low signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs). — Jennifer Lentz, Psychoacoustics- Perception of Normal…, 1313 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim
• XREF: connects to: Fundamental frequency differences between voices improve speech intelligibility — Jennifer Lentz, Psychoacoustics- Perception of Normal…, 1313; Female speakers’ higher pitch is less masked by reverberation and noise

Broader Connections

• Fundamental frequency differences between voices improve speech intelligibility #corroborates (0.88) — Jennifer Lentz, Psychoacoustics- Perception of Normal…, 1313
• Female speakers’ higher pitch is less masked by reverberation and noise #corroborates (0.72)