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Abstract

The present study examined the relationships between the scale sets reported by Brennan and Kirkland in 1983, Mehrabian and Russell in 1974, and Zeskind and Lester in 1978. A combined factor analysis of listeners' ratings on 10 short cry sounds confirmed the factor structures reported earlier. The eight Zeskind and Lester scale items as well as the Mehrabian and Russell pleasure/displeasure factor-scale items loaded on a single factor, named Affect, which is a subset of the Brennan and Kirkland scale set. The results suggest listeners' feelings of arousal cannot be accounted for solely in terms of the unpleasant/arousing qualities of cry sounds or attributed to either the potency or the perceived importance of the cries.

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Comparison of Semantic Differential Scale Sets for Describing Infants' Cries

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