Footsteps (Continued)
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Even though we use foot size to estimate sex,
it is sex determination that is the more compelling mental task.
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Doubtful that perception of footsteps is "innate"
-- most likely learned.
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What may be innate
is the motivation to learn acoustic cues
that correlate with sexual identity.
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Same disposition for sex determination evident in the visual system
(Kozlowski & Cutting, 1977; Barclay, Cutting, & Kozlowski, 1978).
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Brains may be disposed, whenever possible,
to detect masculinity/femininity cues in sounds --
perhaps all sounds.
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Said another way, gender may be one of the basic
dimensions/features of timbre.