Songbirds and humans apply different strategies in a sound sequence discrimination task
The abilities of animals and humans to extract rules from sound sequences have previously been compared using observation of spontaneous responses and conditioning techniques. However, the results were inconsistently interpreted across studies possibly due to methodological and/or species difference...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2013-07-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychology |
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| Online Access: | http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00447/full |
| _version_ | 1828290065693933568 |
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| author | Yoshimasa eSeki Yoshimasa eSeki Kenta eSuzuki Kenta eSuzuki Ayumi Margaret Osawa Kazuo eOkanoya Kazuo eOkanoya Kazuo eOkanoya |
| author_facet | Yoshimasa eSeki Yoshimasa eSeki Kenta eSuzuki Kenta eSuzuki Ayumi Margaret Osawa Kazuo eOkanoya Kazuo eOkanoya Kazuo eOkanoya |
| author_sort | Yoshimasa eSeki |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The abilities of animals and humans to extract rules from sound sequences have previously been compared using observation of spontaneous responses and conditioning techniques. However, the results were inconsistently interpreted across studies possibly due to methodological and/or species differences. Therefore, we examined the strategies for discrimination of sound sequences in Bengalese finches and humans using the same protocol. Birds were trained on a GO/NOGO task to discriminate between two categories of sound stimulus generated based on an AAB or ABB rule. The sound elements used were taken from a variety of male (M) and female (F) calls, such that the sequences could be represented as MMF and MFF. In test sessions, FFM and FMM sequences, which were never presented in the training sessions but conformed to the rule, were presented as probe stimuli. The results suggested two discriminative strategies were being applied: 1) memorizing sound patterns of either GO or NOGO stimuli and generating the appropriate responses for only those sounds; and 2) using the repeated element as a cue. There was no evidence that the birds successfully extracted the abstract rule (i.e. AAB and ABB); MMF-GO subjects did not produce a GO response for FFM and vice versa. Next we examined whether those strategies were also applicable for human participants on the same task. The results and questionnaires revealed that participants extracted the abstract rule, and most of them employed it to discriminate the sequences. This strategy was never observed in bird subjects, although some participants used strategies similar to the birds when responding to the probe stimuli. Our results showed that the human participants applied the abstract rule in the task even without instruction but Bengalese finches did not, thereby reconfirming that humans have to extract abstract rules from sound sequences that is distinct from non-human animals. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T10:32:15Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-00148fa827d643368d90e12ce13dbe3b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T10:32:15Z |
| publishDate | 2013-07-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj.art-00148fa827d643368d90e12ce13dbe3b2022-12-22T02:50:09ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782013-07-01410.3389/fpsyg.2013.0044750821Songbirds and humans apply different strategies in a sound sequence discrimination taskYoshimasa eSeki0Yoshimasa eSeki1Kenta eSuzuki2Kenta eSuzuki3Ayumi Margaret Osawa4Kazuo eOkanoya5Kazuo eOkanoya6Kazuo eOkanoya7Japan Science and Technology AgencyRIKEN-BSIJapan Science and Technology AgencyRIKEN-BSIThe University of TokyoThe University of TokyoJapan Science and Technology AgencyRIKEN-BSIThe abilities of animals and humans to extract rules from sound sequences have previously been compared using observation of spontaneous responses and conditioning techniques. However, the results were inconsistently interpreted across studies possibly due to methodological and/or species differences. Therefore, we examined the strategies for discrimination of sound sequences in Bengalese finches and humans using the same protocol. Birds were trained on a GO/NOGO task to discriminate between two categories of sound stimulus generated based on an AAB or ABB rule. The sound elements used were taken from a variety of male (M) and female (F) calls, such that the sequences could be represented as MMF and MFF. In test sessions, FFM and FMM sequences, which were never presented in the training sessions but conformed to the rule, were presented as probe stimuli. The results suggested two discriminative strategies were being applied: 1) memorizing sound patterns of either GO or NOGO stimuli and generating the appropriate responses for only those sounds; and 2) using the repeated element as a cue. There was no evidence that the birds successfully extracted the abstract rule (i.e. AAB and ABB); MMF-GO subjects did not produce a GO response for FFM and vice versa. Next we examined whether those strategies were also applicable for human participants on the same task. The results and questionnaires revealed that participants extracted the abstract rule, and most of them employed it to discriminate the sequences. This strategy was never observed in bird subjects, although some participants used strategies similar to the birds when responding to the probe stimuli. Our results showed that the human participants applied the abstract rule in the task even without instruction but Bengalese finches did not, thereby reconfirming that humans have to extract abstract rules from sound sequences that is distinct from non-human animals.http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00447/fullSongbirdssyntaxgrammaroperant conditioningartificial grammarRule-learning |
| spellingShingle | Yoshimasa eSeki Yoshimasa eSeki Kenta eSuzuki Kenta eSuzuki Ayumi Margaret Osawa Kazuo eOkanoya Kazuo eOkanoya Kazuo eOkanoya Songbirds and humans apply different strategies in a sound sequence discrimination task Frontiers in Psychology Songbirds syntax grammar operant conditioning artificial grammar Rule-learning |
| title | Songbirds and humans apply different strategies in a sound sequence discrimination task |
| title_full | Songbirds and humans apply different strategies in a sound sequence discrimination task |
| title_fullStr | Songbirds and humans apply different strategies in a sound sequence discrimination task |
| title_full_unstemmed | Songbirds and humans apply different strategies in a sound sequence discrimination task |
| title_short | Songbirds and humans apply different strategies in a sound sequence discrimination task |
| title_sort | songbirds and humans apply different strategies in a sound sequence discrimination task |
| topic | Songbirds syntax grammar operant conditioning artificial grammar Rule-learning |
| url | http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00447/full |
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