# Sex ratios in vocal ensembles affect perceptions of threat and belonging

## TL;DR

People can judge group threat and belonging from the sex ratios in vocal ensembles, showing how auditory cues influence social perception.

## Contribution

This study demonstrates that listeners can infer group sex composition and social dynamics from vocal ensembles, expanding ensemble perception research to auditory domains.

## Key findings

- Perceivers accurately determine the sex composition of a group from voices alone.
- Judgments of threat increase with the number of men in the vocal ensemble.
- Listeners' sense of belonging is influenced by the number of same-sex individuals in the group.

## Abstract

People often interact with groups (i.e., ensembles) during social interactions. Given that group-level information is important in navigating social environments, we expect perceptual sensitivity to aspects of groups that are relevant for personal threat as well as social belonging. Most ensemble perception research has focused on visual ensembles, with little research looking at auditory or vocal ensembles. Across four studies, we present evidence that (i) perceivers accurately extract the sex composition of a group from voices alone, (ii) judgments of threat increase concomitantly with the number of men, and (iii) listeners’ sense of belonging depends on the number of same-sex others in the group. This work advances our understanding of social cognition, interpersonal communication, and ensemble coding to include auditory information, and reveals people’s ability to extract relevant social information from brief exposures to vocalizing groups.