DOCSLIB.ORG

Evaluating Theories of Bird Song Learning: Implications for Future Directions

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Evaluating Theories of Bird Song Learning: Implications for Future Directions J Comp Physiol A (2002) 188: 851–866 DOI 10.1007/s00359-002-0351-5 PROXIMATE MECHANISMS OF SONG LEARNING D. Margoliash Evaluating theories of bird song learning: implications for future directions Received: 18 February 2002 / Revised: 1 July 2002 / Accepted: 5 September 2002 / Published online: 13 November 2002 Ó Springer-Verlag 2002 Abstract Studies of birdsong learning have stimulated ventrale Æ clHV lateral subdivision of the caudal region extensive hypotheses at all levels of behavioral and of hyperstriatum ventrale Æ cmHV medial subdivision physiological organization. This hypothesis building is of the caudal region of hyperstriatum ventrale Æ DLM valuable for the field and is consistent with the re- medial subdivision of the dorsal lateral nucleus of markable range of issues that can be rigorously ad- anterior thalamus Æ DM dorsomedial subdivision of dressed in this system. The traditional instructional nucleus intercollicularis Æ DMP dorsomedial nucleus of (template) theory of song learning has been challenged posterior thalamus Æ HV ventral hyperstriatum Æ HVc on multiple fronts, especially at a behavioral level by acronym used as the proper name Æ lMAN lateral evidence consistent with selectional hypotheses. In this subdivision of the magnocellular nucleus of the anterior review I highlight the caveats associated with these neostriatum Æ MLD dorsal lateral nucleus of theories to better define the limits of our knowledge and mesencephalon Æ mMAN medial subdivision of the identify important experiments for the future. The sites magnocellular nucleus of the anterior neostriatum Æ Ncm and representational forms of the various conceptual caudal medial neostriatum Æ Nd dorsal caudal neostria- entities posited by the template theory are unknown. tum Æ NIf nucleus interfacialis Æ NMDA N-methyl- The distinction between instruction and selection in D-aspartate Æ Ov nucleus ovoidalis Æ RA robust nucleus vocal learning is not well established at a mechanistic of the archistriatum Æ RAm nucleus retroambigualis Æ level. There is as yet insufficient neurophysiological data Uva nucleus uvaeformis to choose between competing mechanisms of error- driven learning and reinforcement learning. Both may obtain for vocal learning. The possible role of sleep in Introduction acoustic or procedural memory consolidation, while supported by some physiological observations, does not Perhaps the most influential theory of birdsong learning yet have support in the behavioral literature. The re- is also one of the earliest. Proposed some 40 years ago, markable expansion of knowledge in the past 20 years the template theory posits a series of conceptual objects, and the recent development of new technologies for an innate predisposition for conspecific songs, an innate physiological and behavioral experiments should permit template that guides vocal learning in the absence of direct tests of these theories in the coming decade. song models, and an acquired template formed when song models (typically, the songs of adult conspecifics) Keywords Error-driven and reinforcement learning Æ are available to the animal during the critical period Instruction and selection Æ Sleep and replay Æ Template (sensory phase) for song acquisition. The acquired theory template is conceived of as the internal sensory repre- sentation of external song models that is used to judge or Abbreviations AFP: anterior forebrain pathway Æ Am guide the young bird’s own vocal output. The form of nucleus ambiguus Æ cHV caudal region of hyperstriatum the internal representation is unspecified and is an ex- citing unresolved problem – there may be many possible forms for neural representations of sounds (e.g., see re- D. Margoliash view by Gentner and Margoliash 2002). The innate or Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, acquired template guides vocal learning through a pro- University of Chicago, 1027 E. 57th St., Chicago, IL 60637, USA cess of trial-and-error auditory feedback-mediated E-mail: [email protected] learning. The critical features of the sensorimotor Fax: +1-773-7020037 (feedback-mediated) learning model are the sensory 852 template and the use of error-correction. A deaf bird, geographic domains. Thus, the vocal diversity of indi- that has no access to the feedback signal, cannot correct viduals within a species may result from choosing par- errors and so his song wanders. Deafening prior to song ticular exemplars from a range of combinations of a crystallization immediately arrests vocal development relatively small set of primitives (see Marler 1997). These because it prevents access to the feedback error signals observations are consistent with a selectional model of that are compared with vocal output to guide further learning (Marler and Peters 1982a; Nelson 1992a; Nel- development (Konishi 1965, 1978, 1985; Marler 1970). son and Marler 1994). In a selectional model, the envi- The template model is an instructional model in that the ronment influences the choice of a small number of environment strongly and directly guides the song de- patterns derived from a larger set of patterns that reflect velopment, both in the sensory phase and in the senso- the natural variation in behavior that an organism rimotor phase. The template concept implies immediacy produces. of correcting vocal output during singing – feedback is Field sparrows and white-crowned sparrows may compared with a template (target) vocalization, and the develop more than one song type, then express a given errors are immediately applied to change the vocal song type based on the prevalent songs a bird encounters output. No long-term memory of the errors is posited. (Nelson 1992a, 1992b). In some species such as indigo The template theory is a succinct statement that has buntings, individuals may also maintain a private rep- stimulated a large body of behavioral research. As the ertoire of syllables (Margoliash et al. 1994a) that are leading theory it has been the natural target of multiple expressed only rarely during aggressive encounters tests. Weaknesses have been exposed in that a purely (Emlen 1972). In principle, these could be accessed to acoustic account of vocal learning does not generally achieve a rapid, ‘‘action-based’’ learning process (Marler obtain. Depending on species, birds may rely on multiple and Nelson 1993), a form of immediate copying of vo- cues as to which songs to attend to. For example, young calization. The rapid changes in song that yearling in- indigo buntings and zebra finches require social interac- digo buntings exhibit, in the extreme case completely tions to acquire songs (Payne 1981; Adret 1993). Juvenile remodeling their songs in a period of 24 h, is evidence white-crowned sparrows will learn song models prefer- for this hypothesis (Payne et al. 1988). As with the more entially from heterospecific live tutors that they can see, traditional selectional model, action-based learning ap- even if the juvenile sparrows are in acoustic contact with pears to vary from the template theory of song learning live conspecifics who sing (Baptista and Petrinovich in that the influence of the environment is more strongly 1984). Cowbirds, which are parasitic birds raised by alien constrained. This distinction may not be compelling, parents, face unusual problems as to whom to learn song however, since action-based learning is proposed for from and when. Remarkably, certain wing strokes of fe- animals that have already passed through early vocal male cowbirds in response to juvenile male songs strongly development. The role of feedback in action-based ac- shape the development of those songs (West and King quisition of new vocal material has yet to be well de- 1988). Live tutors and social interactions can perhaps scribed. There is neurobiological evidence for influence all stages of song learning. These and many re- hierarchical organization of the motor program for song lated observations do not falsify the template theory of (see below). If action-based learning is limited to song learning, but they significantly extend it with a bio- changes in patterns of expression of pre-existing vocal logical richness more consistent with the large variation in elements, then the rapidity of learning may result from behavior observed across multiple species. needing to coordinate feedback-mediated changes only A more fundamental challenge to the template theory at higher levels of the hierarchy. Such a hypothesis is of birdsong learning has questioned the extent to which neutral to the question of whether the coordination is song learning is driven by external stimuli. During vocal mediated through instructional or selectional mecha- development, an overabundance of vocal material is nisms. produced which is later whittled down when the final Selectional and instructional learning may be distinct adult song(s) crystallize. This excess material is related in at a theoretical level yet difficult to differentiate at a part to which songs birds are tutored with early in life, neural level. The potential form of a selectional process but birds can produce normal syllables to which they is highlighted by the observation that species-universals have never been exposed (e.g., Marler and Peters 1981). do not fully develop in isolate-reared or deafened birds The songs a young bird is exposed to early in life in- (Marler and Sherman 1983, 1985). Isolate song may fluence which sounds are maintained into the adult song have some species-typical structure (Konishi 1978), and and which are discarded. In song
Load more

Recommended publications
  • For Whom the Bird Sings: Context-Dependent Gene Expression
    Neuron, Vol. 21, 775±788, October, 1998, Copyright 1998 by Cell Press For Whom The Bird Sings: Context-Dependent Gene Expression Erich D. Jarvis,* Constance Scharff, more motifs per bout, and that each motif is delivered Matthew R. Grossman, Joana A. Ramos, slightly faster (by 10±40 ms) than undirected song (Fig- and Fernando Nottebohm ure 1A; Sossinka and BoÈ hner, 1980; Bischof et al., 1981; Laboratory of Animal Behavior Caryl, 1981). The two behaviors also differ in hormone The Rockefeller University sensitivity: the amount of directed song increases with New York, New York 10021 estrogen treatment, undirected with testosterone (ProÈ ve 1974; Arnold, 1975b; Harding et al., 1983; Walters et al., 1991). Summary Though no separate neural circuits for directed and undirected song have been described, a great deal is Male zebra finches display two song behaviors: di- known about the brain circuits that mediate song acqui- rected and undirected singing. The two differ little in sition and production. Referred to collectively as ªthe the vocalizations produced but greatly in how song is song system,º these circuits consist in male zebra delivered. ªDirectedº song is usually accompanied by finches of a posterior motor pathway necessary for song a courtship dance and is addressed almost exclusively production and an anterior pathway necessary for song to females. ªUndirectedº song is not accompanied by acquisition. Both pathways originate in the high vocal the dance and is produced when the male is in the center (HVC) of the neostriatum. In the posterior pathway presence of other males, alone, or outside a nest occu- (Figure 1B, black arrows), neurons of one cell type in pied by its mate.
    [Show full text]
  • Human-Like Brain Hemispheric Dominance in Birdsong Learning
    Human-like brain hemispheric dominance in birdsong learning Sanne Moormana,1, Sharon M. H. Gobesa,b,c, Maaike Kuijpersa, Amber Kerkhofsa, Matthijs A. Zandbergena, and Johan J. Bolhuisa aCognitive Neurobiology, Departments of Psychology and Biology, and Helmholtz Institute, Utrecht University, 3584 CH Utrecht, The Netherlands; bOrganismic and Evolutionary Biology and Center for Brain Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138; and cNeuroscience Program, Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA 02481 Edited by Thomas D. Albright, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, and approved June 19, 2012 (received for review April 28, 2012) Unlike nonhuman primates, songbirds learn to vocalize very much (14–17), and may thus be functionally analogous to Broca’s area like human infants acquire spoken language. In humans, Broca’s in the human frontal lobe (1, 2, 6) (Fig. 1C). Thus, similar to area in the frontal lobe and Wernicke’s area in the temporal lobe the functional dissociation between Broca’s and Wernicke’s are crucially involved in speech production and perception, respec- areas in humans, vocal production and auditory perception and tively. Songbirds have analogous brain regions that show a similar recognition are subserved by distinct regions in the songbird neural dissociation between vocal production and auditory per- brain (9). It is well documented that human speech- and lan- ception and memory. In both humans and songbirds, there is ev- guage-related neural activity occurs predominantly in the left idence for lateralization of neural responsiveness in these brain hemisphere. Left-sided dominance of temporal lobe activation regions. Human infants already show left-sided dominance in their (including Wernicke’s area) could already be demonstrated in brain activation when exposed to speech.
    [Show full text]
  • The HVC Microcircuit: the Synaptic Basis for Interactions Between Song Motor and Vocal Plasticity Pathways
    1952 • The Journal of Neuroscience, February 23, 2005 • 25(8):1952–1964 Behavioral/Systems/Cognitive The HVC Microcircuit: The Synaptic Basis for Interactions between Song Motor and Vocal Plasticity Pathways Richard Mooney and Jonathan F. Prather Department of Neurobiology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina 27710 Synaptic interactions between telencephalic neurons innervating descending motor or basal ganglia pathways are essential in the learn- ing, planning, and execution of complex movements. Synaptic interactions within the songbird telencephalic nucleus HVC are implicated in motor and auditory activity associated with learned vocalizations. HVC contains projection neurons (PNs) (HVCRA ) that innervate songpremotorareas,otherPNs(HVCX )thatinnervateabasalgangliapathwaynecessaryforvocalplasticity,andinterneurons(HVCINT ). During singing, HVCRA fire in temporally sparse bursts, possibly because of HVCINT–HVCRA interactions, and a corollary discharge can be detected in the basal ganglia pathway, likely because of synaptic transmission from HVCRA to HVCX cells. During song playback, local interactions, including inhibition onto HVCX cells, shape highly selective responses that distinguish HVC from its auditory afferents. To better understand the synaptic substrate for the motor and auditory properties of HVC, we made intracellular recordings from pairs of HVC neurons in adult male zebra finch brain slices and used spike-triggered averages to assess synaptic connectivity. A major synaptic interaction between the PNs was a disynaptic inhibition from HVCRA to HVCX , which could link song motor signals in the two outputs of HVC and account for some of the song playback-evoked inhibition in HVCX cells. Furthermore, single interneurons made divergent connections onto PNs of both types, and either PN type could form reciprocal connections with interneurons.
    [Show full text]
  • Corticobasal Ganglia Projecting Neurons Are Required for Juvenile Vocal Learning but Not for Adult Vocal Plasticity in Songbirds
    Corticobasal ganglia projecting neurons are required for juvenile vocal learning but not for adult vocal plasticity in songbirds Miguel Sánchez-Valpuestaa, Yumeno Suzukia, Yukino Shibataa, Noriyuki Tojib,YuJia, Nasiba Afrina, Chinweike Norman Asogwaa, Ippei Kojimaa, Daisuke Mizuguchic, Satoshi Kojimac, Kazuo Okanoyad, Haruo Okadoe, Kenta Kobayashif, and Kazuhiro Wada (和多和宏)a,b,g,1 aGraduate School of Life Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0810, Japan; bFaculty of Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0810, Japan; cDepartment of Structure and Function of Neural Networks, Korea Brain Research Institute, Daegu 41068, South Korea; dDepartment of Cognitive and Behavioral Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Meguro, Tokyo 153-8902, Japan; eDepartment of Brain Development and Neural Regeneration, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Setagaya, Tokyo 156-8506, Japan; fCenter for Genetic Analysis of Behavior, National Institute for Physiological Sciences, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8585, Japan; and gDepartment of Biological Sciences, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0810, Japan Edited by Eric I. Knudsen, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, and approved October 1, 2019 (received for review August 6, 2019) Birdsong, like human speech, consists of a sequence of temporally the songbird brain, a distinct group of brain nuclei, called the song precise movements acquired through vocal learning. The learning system, contributes to song learning and production (17, 18) (Fig. of such sequential
    [Show full text]
  • Behaviourally Driven Gene Expression Reveals Song Nuclei in Hummingbird
    letters to nature Two cautionary points, one perhaps encouraging and another less 2. Wagner, G. P., Chiu, C. & Hansen, T. F. Is Hsp90 a regulator of evolvability? J. Exp. Zool. 285, 116±118 so, emerge from our study. First, it is evident that a high mutation (1999). 3. Holland, J. et al. Rapid evolution of RNA genomes. Science 215, 1577±1585 (1982). rate is not always bene®cial. The adaptive neighbourhood of an 4. Domingo, E. & Holland, J. J. in The Evolutionary Biology of Viruses (ed. Morse, S. S.) 161±184 (Raven, adaptive peak can constrain evolvability, despite a high mutation New York, 1994). rate. A high rate can lead to a high mutational load, as seen during 5. Fraile, A. et al. A century of tobramovirus evolution in an Australian population of Nicotiana glauca. J. Virol. 71, 8316±8320 (1997). the evolution by clone B. Thus, evolutionary changes in a popula- 6. Chao, L. Evolution of sex and the molecular clock in RNA viruses. Gene 205, 301±308 (1997). tion of RNA viruses, whether under clinical treatment or otherwise, 7. Burch, C. L. & Chao, L. Evolution by small steps and rugged landscapes in the RNA virus f6. Genetics should not automatically be interpreted as adaptive to the virus. 151, 921±927 (1999). Second, as had already been noted12, if multiple peaks exist, a shift to 8. Fenster, C. B, Galloway, L. F. & Chao, L. Epistasis and its consequences for the evolution of natural populations. Trends Ecol. Evol. 12, 282±286 (1997). a new adaptive peak can be triggered by a costly resistance mutation 9.
    [Show full text]
  • Neuronal Intrinsic Physiology Changes During Development of a Learned Behavior
    New Research Development Neuronal Intrinsic Physiology Changes During Development of a Learned Behavior Matthew T. Ross,1,2 Diana Flores,3 Richard Bertram,1,3,4 Frank Johnson,1,2 and Richard L. Hyson1,2 DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.1523/ENEURO.0297-17.2017 1Program in Neuroscience, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4301, 2Department of Psychology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4301, 3Department of Mathematics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4501, and 4Program in Molecular Biophysics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4380 Visual Abstract Juvenile male zebra finches learn their songs over distinct auditory and sensorimotor stages, the for- mer requiring exposure to an adult tutor song pat- tern. The cortical premotor nucleus HVC (acronym is name) plays a necessary role in both learning stages, as well as the production of adult song. Consistent with neural network models where syn- aptic plasticity mediates developmental forms of learning, exposure to tutor song drives changes in the turnover, density, and morphology of HVC syn- apses during vocal development. A network’s out- put, however, is also influenced by the intrinsic properties (e.g., ion channels) of the component neurons, which could change over development. Here, we use patch clamp recordings to show cell-type-specific changes in the intrinsic physiology of HVC projection neurons as a function of vocal development. Developmental changes in HVC neurons that project to the basal ganglia include an increased voltage sag response to hyperpolarizing currents and an increased rebound depolarization following hyperpolarization. Developmental changes in HVC neurons that project to vocal-motor cortex include a decreased resting membrane potential and an increased spike amplitude.
    [Show full text]
  • Building a State Space for Song Learning
    Available online at www.sciencedirect.com ScienceDirect Building a state space for song learning Emily Lambert Mackevicius and Michale Sean Fee The songbird system has shed light on how the brain produces learning and observation of others. However, a funda- precisely timed behavioral sequences, and how the brain mental challenge is learning how to structure these implements reinforcement learning (RL). RL is a powerful behaviors into appropriate chunks that can be acquired strategy for learning what action to produce in each state, but by trial and error learning. ‘Chunking’ has been requires a unique representation of the states involved in the highlighted as a central mechanism for learning action task. Songbird RL circuitry is thought to operate using a sequences in a variety of systems [1–4]. For example, representation of each moment within song syllables, the brain of a young musician does not know a priori the consistent with the sparse sequential bursting of neurons in number or durations of melodies it will need to generate. premotor cortical nucleus HVC. However, such sparse The brain of a young athlete does not know how many sequences are not present in very young birds, which sing maneuvers it will need to practice and eventually per- highly variable syllables of random lengths. Here, we review fect. How does the brain flexibly construct motor pro- and expand upon a model for how the songbird brain could grams that have the correct temporal state representa- construct latent sequences to support RL, in light of new data tions that then support trial-and-error learning to elucidating connections between HVC and auditory cortical achieve complex behavioral goals? areas.
    [Show full text]
  • Download File
    EVOLUTIONARY NEUROGENOMIC APPROACHES PROVIDE INSIGHT INTO THE MOLECULAR BASIS OF VOCAL LEARNING By Morgan Wirthlin A DISSERTATION Presented to the Department of Behavioral Neuroscience and the Oregon Health & Science University School of Medicine in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy September 2016 School of Medicine Oregon Health & Science University CERTIFICATE OF APPROVAL ___________________________________ This is to certify that the PhD dissertation of Morgan Wirthlin has been approved ______________________________________ Claudio Mello, Mentor/Advisor ______________________________________ Lucia Carbone, Oral Exam Committee Chair ______________________________________ Stephen David, Member ______________________________________ Jacob Raber, Member ______________________________________ John Brigande, Member TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Tables ................................................................................................................................................. ii List of Figures ............................................................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgments ........................................................................................................................................ iv Abstract ......................................................................................................................................................... v 1 Introduction .........................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Corticobasal Ganglia Projecting Neurons Are Required for Juvenile Vocal Learning but Not for Adult Vocal Plasticity in Songbirds
    Corticobasal ganglia projecting neurons are required for juvenile vocal learning but not for adult vocal plasticity in songbirds Miguel Sánchez-Valpuestaa, Yumeno Suzukia, Yukino Shibataa, Noriyuki Tojib,YuJia, Nasiba Afrina, Chinweike Norman Asogwaa, Ippei Kojimaa, Daisuke Mizuguchic, Satoshi Kojimac, Kazuo Okanoyad, Haruo Okadoe, Kenta Kobayashif, and Kazuhiro Wada (和多和宏)a,b,g,1 aGraduate School of Life Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0810, Japan; bFaculty of Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0810, Japan; cDepartment of Structure and Function of Neural Networks, Korea Brain Research Institute, Daegu 41068, South Korea; dDepartment of Cognitive and Behavioral Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Meguro, Tokyo 153-8902, Japan; eDepartment of Brain Development and Neural Regeneration, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Setagaya, Tokyo 156-8506, Japan; fCenter for Genetic Analysis of Behavior, National Institute for Physiological Sciences, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8585, Japan; and gDepartment of Biological Sciences, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0810, Japan Edited by Eric I. Knudsen, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, and approved October 1, 2019 (received for review August 6, 2019) Birdsong, like human speech, consists of a sequence of temporally the songbird brain, a distinct group of brain nuclei, called the song precise movements acquired through vocal learning. The learning system, contributes to song learning and production (17, 18) (Fig. of such sequential
    [Show full text]
  • Arxiv:1801.06226V1 [Q-Bio.NC] 18 Jan 2018 HVC Has Invoked a Chain-Like Mechanism to Drive Introduced a Chain Modulated by Inhibition, to Incor- Downstream Areas
    Computational model of avian nervous system nuclei governing learned song Eve Armstrong∗1 1Computational Neuroscience Initiative, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104 (Dated: June 18, 2018) Abstract The means by which neuronal activity yields robust behavior is a ubiquitous question in neuroscience. In the songbird, the timing of a highly stereotyped song motif is attributed to the cortical nucleus HVC, and to feedback to HVC from downstream nuclei in the song motor pathway. Control of the acoustic structure appears to be shared by various structures, whose functional connectivity is largely unknown. Currently there exists no model for functional synaptic architecture that links HVC to song output in a manner consistent with experiments. Here we build on a previous model of HVC in which a distinct functional architecture may act as a pattern generator to drive downstream regions. Using a specific functional connectivity of the song motor pathway, we show how this HVC mechanism can generate simple representations of the driving forces for song. The model reproduces observed correlations between neuronal and respiratory activity and acoustic features of song. It makes testable predictions regarding the electrophysiology of distinct populations in the robust nucleus of the arcopallium (RA), the connectivity within HVC and RA and between them, and the activity patterns of vocal-respiratory neurons in the brainstem. I. INTRODUCTION pattern-generating mechanism in HVC, which has been set forth in a previous paper (Armstrong & Abarbanel The song motor pathway is an excellent testbed for prob- 2016). We expand on this model to generate representa- ing the relationship between neuronal activity and a tions of acoustic output of the zebra finch, via a specific highly stereotyped and quantifiable animal behavior.
    [Show full text]
  • Vocal Learning in Grey Parrots: a Brief Review of Perception, Production, and Cross-Species Comparisons
    WellBeing International WBI Studies Repository 10-2010 Vocal Learning in Grey Parrots: A Brief Review of Perception, Production, and Cross-Species Comparisons Irene M. Pepperberg Harvard University Follow this and additional works at: https://www.wellbeingintlstudiesrepository.org/acwp_asie Part of the Animal Studies Commons, Comparative Psychology Commons, and the Other Animal Sciences Commons Recommended Citation Pepperberg, I. M. (2010). Vocal learning in Grey parrots: A brief review of perception, production, and cross-species comparisons. Brain and language, 115(1), 81-91. This material is brought to you for free and open access by WellBeing International. It has been accepted for inclusion by an authorized administrator of the WBI Studies Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Vocal Learning in Grey Parrots: A Brief Review of Perception, Production, and Cross-Species Comparisons Irene M. Pepperberg1,2 1 Harvard University 2 Brandeis University KEYWORDS Grey parrots, allospecific vocal learning, Psittacine auditory perception, Psittacine model ABSTRACT This chapter briefly reviews what is known—and what remains to be understood—about Grey parrot vocal learning. I review Greys’ physical capacities—issues of auditory perception and production—then discuss how these capacities are used in vocal learning and can be recruited for referential communication with humans. I discuss cross-species comparisons where applicable and conclude with a description of recent research that integrates issues of reference, production and perception. 1. Introduction Grey parrot (Psittacus erithacus) imitative abilities have been lauded at least since Aristotle. Only fairly recently, however, have we learned how Greys may achieve such feats, how such vocal ability connects to cognitive capacities, and how their abilities compare to other common vocal learners—songbirds, cetaceans, humans, and possibly other mammals.
    [Show full text]
  • This Article Was Originally Published in the Encyclopedia of Neuroscience
    This article was originally published in the Encyclopedia of Neuroscience published by Elsevier, and the attached copy is provided by Elsevier for the author's benefit and for the benefit of the author's institution, for non- commercial research and educational use including without limitation use in instruction at your institution, sending it to specific colleagues who you know, and providing a copy to your institution’s administrator. All other uses, reproduction and distribution, including without limitation commercial reprints, selling or licensing copies or access, or posting on open internet sites, your personal or institution’s website or repository, are prohibited. For exceptions, permission may be sought for such use through Elsevier's permissions site at: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/permissionusematerial Jarvis E D (2009) Bird Song Systems: Evolution. In: Squire LR (ed.) Encyclopedia of Neuroscience, volume 2, pp. 217-225. Oxford: Academic Press. Author's personal copy Bird Song Systems: Evolution 217 Bird Song Systems: Evolution E D Jarvis , Duke University Medical Center, Durham, depend on vocal learning. Vocal learners must hear NC, USA the sounds they will later imitate. They use auditory ã feedback to correct their vocal output by comparing 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. the output with auditory memories of the sounds they are trying to imitate. Given the above definitions, most, if not all, verte- Introduction brates are capable of auditory learning, but few are Bird song systems refer to specific neural systems capable of vocal learning. The latter has been found experimentally to date only in the three distantly found in those species of birds that produce learned vocalizations, usually learned songs.
    [Show full text]