Human Sex Recognition (HSR)
A voice-based model of how humans learn to recognize sex.
Sex recognition is a fundamental stage of many human and animal behaviors. The Human Sex Recognition model proposes that, in humans, recognition begins with auditory information, especially voice, and later becomes linked with visual and social cues through development. As children encounter people throughout their social environment, they learn associations among voice, appearance, behavior, and context.
The model further proposes that auditory information, particularly voice, may enter a pathway involving limbic and hypothalamic systems, with possible roles for the MGN, amygdala, BNST, and hypothalamic nuclei. Sex recognition, however, is only an early stage in larger patterns of behavior and affiliation that may depend on it, including sexual attraction and gender affiliation.
