Contextual determinants of auditory learning in bobwhite quail embryos and hatchlings

Abstract

This study examined the ability of bobwhite quail embryos and hatchlings to learn an individual bobwhite maternal call. Results revealed that embryos could learn an individual maternal call and remember that call for at least 24 hr following exposure. In contrast, hatchlings reared socially in groups of same-age chicks during postnatal exposure to a maternal call did not demonstrate a preference for that familiar call at 24 hr following exposure. However, individual auditory recognition was exhibited by hatchlings reared in social isolation, suggesting that the perceptual and social complexity of the postnatal situation can disrupt or interfere with early auditory learning. Additional support for this view was the finding that embryos exposed to unusually early visual stimulation during prenatal exposure to a maternal call also failed to prefer that familiar maternal call in subsequent choice tests. The idea that early auditory learning capacity is determined more by context and experience rather than the organism's specific age or stage of development is discussed.

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

“…Chicks in the current study, in contrast, showed significant preferences for the familiar call with less than 5 min of exposure (or 29-45 repetitions on average) when that exposure was made contingent upon their own vocalizations. These results are particularly striking in that Lickliter and Hellewell (1992) found a preference for the familiar maternal call only when chicks were socially isolated following hatching. Foushée and Lickliter (2002), additionally, found a preference for the familiar call (with 240 min of exposure) only in chicks that were dark-reared during and following exposure.…”

“…These were seen as unlikely possibilities given that socially reared chicks are frequently exposed to such vocalizations and because previous studies have found bobwhite chicks to have no naive preferences for either of these calls (e.g., Lickliter & Hellewell, 1992). It was nonetheless possible that the exposure to distress vocalizations might have had some influence on chick preferences.…”

“…Call A was recorded under conditions of a bobwhite hen leading her young away from the nest, and Call B was recorded from a bobwhite hen in a colony where no chicks were present. A number of studies have demonstrated that bobwhite chicks have no naive preference for either of these calls and are capable of acquiring significant preferences for either call (e.g., Honeycutt & Lickliter, 2001Lickliter, Bahrick, & Honeycutt, 2002;Lickliter & Hellewell, 1992).Distress vocalizations-Recordings of bobwhite chick distress/contact vocalizations were used during training in some conditions. Such calls can easily be distinguished from other chick vocalizations and generally consist of strings of rapid "peeps" (Stoumbos, 1990).…”

The development of potentially better practices to support the neurodevelopment of infants in the NICU

“…36,46,47 Some species-specific range of normal exposure exists, and deviations of exogenous stimuli above or below this range, or with atypical timing, may negatively impact or alter typical perceptual development. 47,[48][49][50][51] Term newborns exposed to light with auditory pre-stimulation had a subsequent preference for lower light stimulation compared to babies who did not have increased auditory stimulation. 52 A similar study using incrementally increasing sound and light pre-stimulation, found a linear and inverse relationship.…”

“…56,57 This postnatal bimodal exposure is facilitative, but if it occurs prenatally, or too early, it may have an 'interference effect' and lead to detrimental effects later in development. 33,50,58 Although intriguing and suggestive, these animal studies have not been established as predictive models for human brain development, and application of this research should be only in very general terms, recognizing interspecies variation. The normative ranges of acceptable sensory stimuli, as well as the exact impact of timing are not well defined in the human newborn.…”