A pacific bottlenose dolphin was trained in a two-alternative cross-modal matching-to-sample paradigm. The animal was able to inspect complex PVC-pipe shapes through echolocation or vision but never through both senses simultaneously. Acoustic data was collected through a 3-channel high-frequency recording system while the dolphin performed one of the following tasks: (1) match a complex shape with its sonar only (pure echoic matching), (2) match from vision to echolocation and (3) match from echolocation to vision. Simultaneously, synchronized in-air and underwater video was recorded documenting the approach path of the dolphin to either the sample object or to the alternative objects. The collected data was analyzed for type of click signals used, the frequency range of the emitted clicks, number of clicks emitted before a successive match and variations of click type with different objects.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.