Early visual experience affects postnatal auditory responsiveness in bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus).

Results from 6 experiments suggest perinatal visual experience interferes with postnatal auditory responsiveness in bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus). Light- or dark-reared control chicks responded similarly to bobwhite maternal Calls A or B following hatching. Light-reared chicks that experienced 10 min/hr of Call A or B from hatching until testing preferred the familiar call at Days 2-4, but dark-reared chicks preferred the familiar call at all ages. Increased amounts of exposure to maternal calls during postnatal Days 1-2 led to auditory responsiveness deficits in light-reared chicks. Similarly, embryos exposed to 10 min/hr of prenatal visual cues required 48 hr of postnatal Call A or B exposure to demonstrate auditory discrimination. These findings highlight the linkages between developing auditory and visual systems during infancy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Prenatal auditory experience directs species-typical perceptual responsiveness in bobwhite quail chicks (Colinus virginianus).

The present study examined the role of the relationship between pre- and postnatal stimulus cues in directing perceptual preferences of bobwhite quail chicks. Bobwhite quail were exposed to either prenatal auditory or prenatal auditory-visual stimulation. Both prenatal auditory and auditory-visual stimulation resulted in accelerated responsiveness to combined postnatal auditory-visual cues. However, whether or not subjects displayed accelerated perceptual responsiveness depended on the relationship between the nature of the pre- and postnatal auditory stimuli used. These results demonstrate the salience of auditory cues in directing early postnatal perceptual behavior in precocial birds and help to explicate why prior research in this area has found that augmented prenatal sensory stimulation can result in either accelerated or decelerated patterns of perceptual functioning. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Intersensory experience and early perceptual development: Attenuated prenatal sensory stimulation affects postnatal auditory and visual responsiveness in bobwhite quail chicks (Colinus virginianus).

Related experiments examined the effects of attenuated prenatal sensory stimulation on subsequent postnatal auditory and visual responsiveness in precocial bobwhite quail chicks (Colinus virginianus). Results revealed that denying quail embryos the prenatal vestibular and tactile stimulation provided by broodmates during incubation altered pre- and postnatal perceptual functioning. Chicks incubated in physical isolation during the late stages of prenatal development responded to maternal auditory cues into later stages of the postnatal period and failed to respond to maternal visual cues at ages communally incubated chicks typically display such visual responsiveness. In addition, embryos incubated in physical isolation failed to exhibit early auditory learning of an individual maternal call, a behavior reliably seen in communally incubated embryos. Taken together, these results and those from related studies indicate that a substantial decrease or increase in the range of sensory stimulation normally present in the prenatal period can result in a slowing of the rate of species specific perceptual development and suggest that some optimal range of prenatal sensory stimulation is necessary for species-typical perceptual capacities to emerge. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Type of prenatal sensory experience affects auditory learning in bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus).

This study examined the effects of specific types of prenatal auditory stimulation on the auditory learning capacity of bobwhite embryos (Colinus virginianus) incubated in either communal or isolation conditions. Results revealed that socially incubated embryos could learn an individual bobwhite maternal call, whereas embryos denied physical and tactile stimulation as a result of isolation incubation failed to demonstrate prenatal auditory learning of the maternal call. In contrast, embryos exposed to bobwhite chick contentment calls in the period prior to hatching demonstrated prenatal auditory learning, whether they were incubated socially or in isolation. Socially incubated and isolation-incubated embryos exposed to bobwhite chick distress calls failed to learn the individual maternal call, indicating that the type of sensory stimulation the developing organism encounters prenatally is important in fostering normal perceptual learning ability. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Modified sensory features of social stimulation alter the perceptual responsiveness of bobwhite quail chicks (Colinus virginianus).

This study examined the sensory features of postnatal social experience that bobwhite quail chicks (Colinus virginianus) require to maintain species-typical responding to maternal auditory–visual cues. Chicks were reared in 1 of 3 conditions after hatching: altered tactile, auditory, or visual experience with siblings. Findings revealed that altered tactile, auditory, or visual experience during the first 36 or the first 72 hr following hatching modified chicks' preferential responding to species-specific maternal cues. During the second 36 hr, altered tactile or auditory experience disrupted chicks' perceptual development, whereas altered visual experience did not affect species-typical responsiveness. Results indicate that (a) timing of early postnatal visual experience can affect early filial responsiveness to maternal cues and (b) normal sensory experience derived from early social interaction affects species-typical perceptual development. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social experience with siblings fosters species specific responsiveness to maternal visual cues in bobwhite quail chicks (Colinus virginianus).

Examined the role of visual and social experience with siblings in the development of bobwhite quail chicks' preference for species-specific maternal visual cues. Chicks were reared in 1 of 4 conditions: group, isolation, partial isolation, and heterospecific group. They were tested in simultaneous choice tests with species-typical and species-atypical audiovisual stimuli. Results revealed that only Ss that were reared in a group with same-aged conspecifics preferred the visual features of a bobwhite hen model. Ss in the other 3 conditions did not exhibit species-specific visual preference. Findings suggest that visual experience and direct social interaction with siblings facilitate the development of bobwhite chicks' species-specific responsiveness to static maternal visual cues and illustrate the important influence of experience with conspecifics in the development of early perceptual preferences. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Intersensory redundancy facilitates prenatal perceptual learning in bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus) embryos.

Information presented redundantly and in temporal synchrony across sensory modalities (intersensory redundancy) selectively recruits attention and facilitates perceptual learning in human infants. This comparative study examined whether intersensory redundancy also facilitates perceptual learning prenatally. The authors assessed quail (Colinus virginianus) embryos' ability to learn a maternal call when it was (a) unimodal, (b) concurrent but asynchronous with patterned light, or (c) redundant and synchronous with patterned light. Chicks' preference for the familiar over a novel maternal call was assessed 24 hr following hatching. Chicks receiving redundant, synchronous stimulation as embryos learned the call 4 times faster than those who received unimodal exposure. Chicks who received asynchronous bimodal stimulation showed no evidence of learning. These results provide the first evidence that embryos are sensitive to redundant, bimodal information and that it can facilitate learning during the prenatal period. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Species-specific auditory preference of bobwhite quail chicks (Colinus virginianus) is altered by social interaction with siblings.

The study examined whether reinstating specific aspects of the normally occurring postnatal setting (ongoing social interaction with siblings during rearing and/or testing) would influence bobwhite quail chicks' attraction to their species-typical maternal call. Results revealed that incubator-reared chicks exhibit a strong preference for the species-typical bobwhite maternal call over a group of the same-aged siblings in simultaneous choice tests at 24 hr and 48 hr after hatching, but only if the birds are kept in relative social isolation. No preference for the maternal call was found at 24 hr or at 48 hr if chicks were reared in a group of same-aged chicks from hatching and tested to the maternal call vs. siblings or the maternal call paired with a live adult bobwhite hen vs. siblings. These results raise doubts about the appropriateness of the usual methods of isolation rearing in the study of species-typical perceptual preferences and underscore the importance of considering features of the natural social context in the analysis of early perceptual and social behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Interactive and vicarious acquisition of auditory preferences in Northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) chicks.

Studies examining the effects of stimulus contingency on filial imprinting have produced inconsistent findings. In the current study, day-old bobwhite chicks (Colinus virginianus) received individual 5-min sessions in which they were provided contingent, noncontingent, or vicarious exposure to a variant of a bobwhite maternal assembly call. Chicks given contingent exposure to the call showed a significant preference for the familiar call 24 hr following exposure and significantly greater preferences than chicks given noncontingent exposure. Chicks given vicarious exposure to recordings of another chick interacting with the maternal call showed significant deviations from chance responding; however, the direction of chick preference (toward the familiar or unfamiliar) depended on the particular call used. These results indicate that both direct and indirect (vicarious) exposure to stimulus contingency can enhance the acquisition of auditory preferences in precocial avian hatchlings. Precocial avian hatchlings thus likely play a more active role in directing their own perceptual and behavioral development than has typically been thought. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Prenatal experience and postnatal perceptual preferences: Evidence for attentional-bias in bobwhite quail embryos ( Colinus virginianus).

Previous studies have indicated that concurrent multimodal sensory stimulation can interfere with prenatal perceptual learning. This study further examined this issue by exposing 3 groups of bobwhite quail embryos (Colinus virginianus) to (a) no supplemental stimulation, (b) a bobwhite maternal call, or (c) a maternal call paired with a pulsating light in the period prior to hatching. Experiments differed in terms of the types of stimuli presented during postnatal preference tests. Embryos receiving no supplemental stimulation showed no preference between stimulus events in all testing conditions. Embryos receiving exposure to the unimodal maternal call preferred the familiar call over an unfamiliar call regardless of the presence or absence of pulsating light during testing. Embryos exposed to the call-light compound preferred the familiar call only when it was paired with the light during testing. These results suggest that concurrent multimodal stimulation does not interfere with prenatal perceptual learning by overwhelming the young organism's limited attentional capacities. Rather, multimodal stimulation biases what information is attended to during exposure and subsequent testing. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Augmented prenatal auditory stimulation alters postnatal perception, arousal, and survival in bobwhite quail chicks

Progress in biological psychiatry is contingent on progress in neurobiology and on research into proper characterisation and assessment of abnormal behavior. Advances in neurobiology are rapid and steady; diagnostic research does not keep pace. On the contrary, the diagnostic approach seems solidified, as today's basic premises are uncritically accepted. The diagnostic requirements for meaningful biological psychiatric research are discussed and contrasted with present-day diagnostic practices. Serious reflection on the state of psychiatric diagnosing is urgently needed.     

Prenatally elevated physiological arousal interferes with perceptual learning in bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus) embryos.

Neonatal studies suggest elevated arousal can negatively influence perceptual and cognitive processes during early development. The authors explored this issue during the prenatal period by pharmacologically elevating physiological arousal in bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus) embryos during exposure to a maternal call, then assessing preference for the familiar call following hatching. Embryos receiving norepinephrine showed a prenatal elevation in heart rate and failed to demonstrate a preference for the familiar call following hatching. Embryos not receiving norepinephrine showed no elevation in heart rate and demonstrated a preference for the familiar call. These results indicate elevated arousal can interfere with perceptual learning during the prenatal period and provide additional evidence for an optimal window of arousal necessary to foster species-typical perceptual functioning during early development. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Amount of prenatal visual stimulation alters incubation time and postnatal preferences in leopard geckos (Eublepharis macularius).

The authors exposed gecko (Eublepharis macularius) embryos to patterned visual stimulation beginning at either 1 week or 2 weeks prior to hatching. Embryos exposed to the substantially augmented amount of prenatal visual stimulation hatched significantly earlier than the embryos either exposed to the moderately augmented prenatal visual stimulation or not exposed to any prenatal visual stimulation (p?p?p?     

The role of auditory stimulation in responsiveness in young chicks

The mechanism of action of the auditory signal in increasing responsiveness to a visual-auditory stimulus in chicks of 14-48 hr was examined. Stimulus effectiveness of an auditory signal dissociated from the visual stimulus was less than proximate auditory signal presentation but greater than a silent visual stimulus. Familiarity with the auditory signal increased and decreased responding under proximate and dissociated presentation, respectively. These data were interpreted as confirming the influence of auditory stimulation via increased arousal, and as indicating the possibility of selective responding to specific features of the auditory stimulus when its localization at the visual stimulus is possible.     

Regulation of dustbathing in Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix).

In Exp I, removal of the uropygial gland from Japanese quail chicks at 1 day of age had no effect on the development of dustbathing compared with that of normal chicks. In Exp II, restricting the early experiences that glandless chicks had with dust did not retard dustbathing development. Applying large amounts of uropygial lipid to the feathers of adult quail also had no effect on the frequencies of dustbathing. However, spraying water on the feathers, which elicits oiling behavior, did lead to an increase in dustbathing (Exp III). Results suggest that dustbathing is regulated by monitoring the rate of oiling behavior rather than sensing the amount of feather lipid. (13 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of auditory and visual interference on auditory-visual delayed matching-to-sample in monkeys (Macaca fascicularis).

Two monkeys were trained on an auditory-visual (AV) delayed matching-to-sample (DMS) task with auditory cues serving as sample stimuli and visual cues serving as comparison stimuli. To determine whether the monkeys were remembering auditory or visual information during the delay period, auditory and visual interference were presented following the sample stimulus. Auditory interference had little effect on AV DMS performance. In contrast, visual interference severely impaired AV DMS performance, indicating that the monkeys were remembering visual information during the delay period. This finding may reflect a predisposition of monkeys toward remembering information via their dominant visual modality. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Place and object learning in chicks (Gallus gallus domesticus).

Trained chicks (Gallus gallus domesticus) to discriminate between two identical boxes containing food on the basis of the positions of the boxes. Once learning was accomplished, the visual characteristics (color or size) of the boxes were changed and chicks were retrained to criterion. Results showed that chicks remembered more about visual characteristics of the boxes than about their position. The same results did not occur, however, if the change was limited only to parts of the boxes rather than to the entire object. Further experiments indicated that it was not the amount of physical change as such that produced these different results but rather the way in which animals select meaningful objects in their perceptual organization of the environment. We argue that chicks define spatial locations in terms of the relative positions of objects and that in so doing they also encode those visual characteristics that make possible perceptual segregation of distinct objects. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sexual-discrimination learning in male Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica).

We investigated how male Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) learn through extensive social and sexual experience to discriminate between male and female conspecifics. Opportunity for heterosexual copulation was important for this learning, but even extensive copulatory opportunity was not sufficient to produce a sexual discrimination; subjects also required exposure to other males. Exposure to females after copulatory opportunity did not produce a sexual discrimination but facilitated its acquisition. Time or exposure to only the visual features of male birds (provided by taxidermic models) after copulatory opportunity did not result in differential responding to male and female conspecifics. Finally, presenting stimulus birds one at a time proved to be a more sensitive test of sexual-discrimination learning than presenting two stimulus birds at the same time. The results indicate that sexual-discrimination learning is similar to conventional associative learning. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Nonsimultaneous auditory masking in the budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus).

Compared the frequency resolving power of 3 male budgerigar birds and 3 humans on several nonsimultaneous masking procedures in which one pure tone was used to mask another. Similar patterns of frequency selectivity were found for all 3 masking procedures (forward, backward, and combined forward/backward) for both species. Budgerigars showed considerably greater frequency resolving power on all 3 procedures than humans. Budgerigars also showed differences in frequency resolving power across masking conditions, but human Ss did not. Results indicate that the budgerigar auditory system may be even more highly tuned than was previously thought and suggest fundamental differences between the mechanisms of frequency selectivity of birds and humans. (19 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Behavioral measures of auditory streaming in ferrets (Mustela putorius).

An important aspect of the analysis of auditory “scenes” relates to the perceptual organization of sound sequences into auditory “streams.” In this study, we adapted two auditory perception tasks, used in recent human psychophysical studies, to obtain behavioral measures of auditory streaming in ferrets (Mustela putorius). One task involved the detection of shifts in the frequency of tones within an alternating tone sequence. The other task involved the detection of a stream of regularly repeating target tones embedded within a randomly varying multitone background. In both tasks, performance was measured as a function of various stimulus parameters, which previous psychophysical studies in humans have shown to influence auditory streaming. Ferret performance in the two tasks was found to vary as a function of these parameters in a way that is qualitatively consistent with the human data. These results suggest that auditory streaming occurs in ferrets, and that the two tasks described here may provide a valuable tool in future behavioral and neurophysiological studies of the phenomenon. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)