Development of species identification in ducklings: III. Maturational rectification of perceptual deficit caused by auditory deprivation.

Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology
G Gottlieb

Abstract

Mute ducklings, devocalized as embryos and maintained in auditory isolation, manifest a selective high-frequency perceptual deficit vis-à-vis the maternal call of their species at 24 hr after hatching. Since it takes a rather specific auditory experiential input to rectify this high-frequency insensitivity at 24 hr, it was predicted that, in the absence of auditory experience, devocal-isolated ducklings would fail to show sufficient endogenously mediated improvement to bring them up to the level of perceptual competence of vocal-communal ducklings at any age. This hypothesis proved wrong in that the proportion of devocalized ducklings showing a preference for the normal maternal call over the greater than 825-Hz attenuated one became equivalent to the vocal ducklings at 48 hr after hatching, as did their ability to discriminate the normal maternal call from greater than 1,800-Hz attenuated maternal call. At 65 hr, however, the devocalized ducklings' performance deteriorated back to the level observed at 24 hr. Embryonic exposure to the (sibling) contact-contentment call prevents the perceptual deficit at 24 hr and the deterioration at 65 hr.

Citations

Mar 19, 2002·Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology. Part A, Molecular & Integrative Physiology·Joachim HöchelMartin Nichelmann
Jan 1, 1985·Developmental Psychobiology·T D Johnston, G Gottlieb
Sep 1, 1983·Developmental Psychobiology·S J GaioniJ Goldsmith

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