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In reply to the discussion: Just before the call cut off, she heard Trayvon Martin say, “Get off. Get off.” [View all]dkf
(37,305 posts)"Ryan also questioned the basic idea that the age of the person or persons screaming during the 45 seconds and thus whether it was 17-year-old Martin or 28-year-old Zimmerman or both can be determined by measuring frequency, or pitch.
To my knowledge, there are no scientific studies of pitch as an indicator or anything else in a scream that would give someone confidence to say how old somebody was, Ryan said.
When it comes to emotionally charged situations, especially a life-or death situation, the range of the human voice is simply too wide and varied to correlate it accurately to age, Ryan said.
A 28-year-old might scream like a 17-year old. A 17-year old might yell like a 28-year-old.
The science doesnt help with a recording like this, Ryan said. There isnt anything to hang your hat on."