Contextual Effects of Vocal Pitch on Trust Perception in Aviation Settings

Vocal pitch serves as a salient social cue linked to perceptions of dominance, competence, and trustworthiness. While lower-pitched voices are generally associated with authority and leadership, their influence on trust-related judgments appears context-dependent. This study examined how manipulated pitch in pilot voices affected listeners' trust evaluations across four aviation-related scenarios: general trust, fear reduction, professional experience, and emergency competence. Ninety-five adult participants listened to paired recordings of high- and low-pitch versions of the same pilot voices and indicated their preferences using a three-option forced-choice task (lower pitch, higher pitch, and no difference). Bayesian hierarchical categorical regression models were used to estimate the effects of pitch, participant gender, pilot gender, and their interactions. Findings revealed a preference for lower-pitched voices in contexts involving trust and professional competence, while emotionally charged scenarios yielded more mixed results. Female listeners demonstrated a stronger preference for lower-pitched voices overall. Notably, higher-pitched female voices were more frequently selected compared with higher-pitched male voices across several contexts, suggesting gendered vocal expectations. The interaction between participant and pilot gender did not reach significance, and model comparison metrics favored more parsimonious models. This study highlights the nuanced and context-sensitive nature of pitch-based judgments, supporting the notion that vocal trust inferences are shaped by task demands, gender schemas, and listener expectations. The use of Bayesian modeling and a nonbinary response structure allowed for more refined analysis of perceptual ambiguity. These results have practical implications for safety-critical communication domains, such as aviation, where vocal cues may subtly influence perceived leadership and competence.