Reversing Voice-Related Biases Through Haptic Reinforcement

Abstract

Biased perceptions of others are known to negatively influence the outcomes of social and professional interactions in many regards. Theses biases can be informed by a multitude of non-verbal cues such as voice pitch and voice volume. This project explores how haptic effects, generated from speech, could attenuate listeners' perceived voice-related biases formed from a speaker's voice pitch. Promising preliminary results collected during a decision-making task suggest that the speech to haptic mapping and vibration delivery mechanism employed does attenuate voice-related biases. Accordingly, it is anticipated that such a system could be introduced in the workplace to equalize people's contribution opportunities and to create a more inclusive environment by reversing voice-related biases.