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

Abstract

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. Keywordsfilial imprinting; contingency; interactive stimulation; vicarious learning; Northern bobwhite Social interaction and contingency are known to have potent influences on learning across a wide range of organisms and contexts. Grey parrots (Psittacus erithacus), for example, have been shown to learn the proper use of referential labels only when provided interactive sessions with live tutors (e.g., Pepperberg, 1994Pepperberg, , 1998. Human infants have also been found to produce more sophisticated vocalizations when their mothers respond to their babbling in a contingent manner (Goldstein, King, & West, 2003). In contrast to such findings, filial imprinting has traditionally been viewed as a special type of learning that occurs largely independent of contingent interaction or overt reinforcement (e.g., Lorenz, 1935Lorenz, , 1937.A number of studies have directly examined the effects of stimulus contingency on the behavior of precocial hatchlings, the majority of which have focused on whether imprinting stimuli are capable of functioning as reinforcers. Such studies have demonstrated that precocial avian neonates will indeed work to be exposed to such stimuli (e.g., Bateson & Reese, 1968;Campbell & Pickleman, 1961;Eacker & Meyer, 1967;Gaioni, Hoffman, DePaulo, & Stratton, 1978;Hoffman, Schiff, Adams, & Searle, 1966;Meyer, 1968;Peterson, 1960). Relatively few studies, on the other hand, have examined the effects of contingency on the formation of filial preferences. Some of these studies have reported enhanced acquisition of filial preferences under conditions of stimulus contingency (e.g., Bateson & Reese, 1969;Evans, 1991;Johnson, Bolhuis, & Horn, 1985; ten Cate, 1989b), whereas others have found little or no difference in the level of filial preference between chicks provided with contingent versus noncontingent exposure to stimuli (Bolhuis & Johnson, 1988; ten Cate...

Effects of Altered Prenatal Sensory Stimulation on Postnatal Contingency Learning in Bobwhite Quail Neonates (Colinus Virginianus)

“…Harshaw and Lickliter (2007) found that one-day-old bobwhite hatchlings can learn contingencies and show a preference for contingently learned auditory information the following day. In their contingency training paradigm chicks heard a specific variant of the bobwhite maternal call in response to each of their own vocalization.…”

“…The bobwhite quail is a useful animal model to pursue these questions because it 1) develops in ovo, making prenatal manipulations possible, 2) is a precocial species, which means it can be tested immediately after hatching, and 3) are known to be sensitive to contingencies (Harshaw & Lickliter, 2007;Harshaw, Tourgeman, & Lickliter, 2008).…”

“…A contingency learning paradigm that had been previously successful with bobwhite hatchlings (Harshaw & Lickliter, 2007) was used in which a day-old chick was placed in a circular arena and its vocalizations were reinforced with a specific variant of the bobwhite maternal call. On the following day, the chicks were tested for their auditory preference between the familiarized bobwhite maternal call and a novel bobwhite maternal call.…”

“…The contingency training paradigm used in the current study was based on the paradigm developed by Harshaw and Lickliter (2007). Harshaw and Lickliter (2007) found that one-day-old bobwhite hatchlings can learn contingencies and show a preference for contingently learned auditory information the following day.…”

Elevated Progesterone In Yolk As a Moderator of Prenatal and Postnatal Auditory Learning in Bobwhite Quail

“…The calls were counter-balanced between the two sides of the arena. Both Call A and Call B are similar in phrasing, frequency modulation, and repetition rate, and vary in minor peaks of frequency and pitch (Harshaw & Lickliter, 2007). Chicks were tested between 12pm and 6 pm, and only if they were awake during time of testing.…”