Talker-Contingent Simulation of Voice in Silent Reading

Abstract: An experiment was conducted to assess whether voices of familiar talkers are simulated while silently reading utterances from those talkers. In addition it was tested, whether talker-contingent simulation of voices in silent reading can occur after familiarization by reading utterances in context. After being familiarized with two talkers by watching video sequences alternatively by reading dialogues featuring those talkers, participants were asked to rate ambiguous ironic/non-ironic written utterances ascribed to these talkers. Participants rated the ambiguous utterances talker-contingent, i.e. utterances made by talkers who were ironic in study were rated as ironic even in test. The present study is discussed in terms of situated simulation and corroborates the view that talkers’ voices are simulated while reading written utterances. In addition it is proposed that those simulations even can occur as simulations of earlier simulations.