Forwarded from Lidia Eva Wysocki, [EMAIL PROTECTED]:
J Comp Psychol 118 (1), 2004: S. R. Toukhsati and N. S. Rickard. 2004. Variations in Intensity and Frequency Moderate the Facilitative Effects of a Complex Rhythm Stimulus on Long-Term Memory Consolidation in the Day-Old Chick (Gallus gallus). pp. 65-70. Abstract: The authors have previously shown that exposure to 1 min of a complex, but not an isochronous, rhythm stimulus facilitates long-term memory consolidation in chicks (Gallus gallus) trained on a passive-avoidance task (S. R. Toukhsati & N. S. Rickard, 2001). The acoustic parameters of this stimulus were explored further in the current study. Retention was found to be best facilitated when the complex rhythm stimulus was presented at intensities between 5 and 15 dBA above background laboratory noise levels and at a frequency of 1 kHz. Removal of an accent from the stimulus did not moderate the effect. These findings provide confirmation that memory in an avian species can be facilitated by exposure to a complex rhythm stimulus and suggest that pattern repetition may be an important feature of this effect. M. M. Myers, N. Ali, A. Weller, S. A. Brunelli, A. Y. Tu, M. A. Hofer, and H. N. Shair. 2004. Brief Maternal Interaction Increases Number, Amplitude, and Bout Size of Isolation- Induced Ultrasonic Vocalizations in Infant Rats (Rattus norvegicus). pp. 95-102. Abstract: The number, amplitude, duration, and bout structure of isolation-induced ultrasonic vocalization (USV) of infant rats (Rattus norvegicus) were measured on postnatal Day 10. Measurements were made before and after a brief, 1-min, active interaction with their mother or before and after a "pick- up" control procedure. Consistent with prior studies, the number of USVs emitted was significantly increased in the period following the maternal reunion but not after the control procedure. The average amplitude of USVs was also greater following maternal reunion. Finally, analyses characterizing the bout structure of USV production indicated that the average bout size (i.e.. number of USVs/bout) was increased severalfold following the reunion with the mother, accounting for the greater rate of USV production during the second isolation period. J Comp Psychol 118 (2): G. D. Reynolds and R.Lickliter. 2004. Modified Prenatal Sensory Stimulation Influences Postnatal Behavioral and Perceptual Responsiveness in Bobwhite Quail Chicks (Colinus virginianus). pp. 172�178. Abstract: Asynchronous bimodal stimulation during prenatal development elicits higher levels of behavioral and physiological arousal in precocial avian embryos than does unimodal sensory stimulation. To investigate whether the increased arousal associated with prenatal bimodal stimulation has enduring effects into postnatal development, bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus) embryos received no supplemental stimulation, unimodal auditory stimulation, or bimodal (audiovisual) stimulation prior to hatching. Embryos exposed to concurrent bimodal stimulation demonstrated greater levels of behavioral activity and failed to use maternal visual cues to successfully direct species-specific perceptual preferences following hatching. These results provide initial evidence that asynchronous bimodal sensory stimulation during prenatal development can have enduring effects on early postnatal behavioral arousal and perceptual responsiveness and suggest that developmental limitations on prenatal sensory stimulation play an important role in the emergence of species-typical behavior. C. Poirier, L. Henry, M. Mathelier, S. Lumineau, H. Cousillas, and Martine Hausberger. 2004. Direct Social Contacts Override Auditory Information in the Song-Learning Process in Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris). pp. 179�193. Abstract: Social influence on song acquisition was studied in 3 groups of young European starlings raised under different social conditions but with the same auditory experience of adult song. Attentional focusing on preferred partners appears the most likely explanation for differences found in song acquisition in relation to experience, sex, and song categories. Thus, pair-isolated birds learned from each other and not from broadcast live songs, females did not learn from the adult male tutors, and sharing occurred more between socially associated peers. On the contrary, single-isolated birds clearly copied the adult songs that may have been the only source of attention stimulation. Therefore, social preference appears as both a motor for song learning and a potential obstacle for acquisition from nonpreferred partners, including adults. K. A. Phillips, L. M. Shauver Goodchild, M. E. Haas, M. J. Ulyan, and St. Petro. 2004. Use of Visual, Acoustic, and Olfactory Information During Embedded Invertebrate Foraging in Brown Capuchins (Cebus apella). Abstract: Experiments were conducted to investigate which sensory cues are used by brown capuchins (Cebus apella) in embedded invertebrate foraging. The importance of visual, olfactory, and acoustic cues in such foraging was determined by presenting subjects with a stimulus log modified to block out given sensory cues. Experiment 1 was designed to investigate whether subjects could locate an invertebrate embedded in wood when only visual, acoustic, or olfactory information was available. Experiments 2 and 3 were designed to investigate extractive foraging behavior when two sensory cues were provided. It was hypothesized that the combination of visual and acoustic information would be necessary for subjects to successfully locate embedded invertebrates. Results indicated that subjects' performance was most successful when both visual and acoustic information was available. J. Call. 2004. Inferences About the Location of Food in the Great Apes (Pan paniscus, Pan troglodytes, Gorilla gorilla, and Pongo pygmaeus). pp. 232�241. Abstract: Bonobos (Pan paniscus; n = 4), chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes; n = 12), gorillas (Gorilla gorilla; n = 8), and orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus; n = 6) were presented with 2 cups (1 baited) and given visual or auditory information about their contents. Visual information consisted of letting subjects look inside the cups. Auditory information consisted of shaking the cup so that the baited cup produced a rattling sound. Subjects correctly selected the baited cup both when they saw or heard the food. Nine individuals were above chance in both visual and auditory conditions. More important, subjects as a group selected the baited cup when only the empty cup was either shown or shaken, which means that subjects chose correctly without having seen or heard the food (i.e., inference by exclusion). Control tests showed that subjects were not more attracted to noisy cups, avoided shaken noiseless cups, or learned to use auditory information as a cue during the study. It is concluded that subjects understood that the food caused the noise, not simply that the noise was associated with the food. ----------------------------------------------------------- Dr. Lidia Eva Wysocki Institute of Zoology, University of Vienna Althanstrasse 14 A-1090 Vienna, Austria Phone: ++43-1-4277/54227 Fax: ++43-1-4277-9544 E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
