scholarly journals Parental influence on begging call structure in zebra finches ( Taeniopygia guttata ): evidence of early vocal plasticity

2015 ◽  
Vol 2 (11) ◽  
pp. 150497 ◽  
Author(s):  
Avelyne S. Villain ◽  
Ingrid C. A. Boucaud ◽  
Colette Bouchut ◽  
Clémentine Vignal
Keyword(s):  
Zebra Finch ◽  
Parental Influence ◽  
Developmental Trajectories ◽  
Theoretical Frameworks ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Vocal Plasticity ◽  
Call Structure ◽  
Nestling Development ◽  
Acoustic Analyses ◽  
Nestling Begging

Begging calls are signals of need used by young birds to elicit care from adults. Different theoretical frameworks have been proposed to understand this parent–offspring communication. But relationships between parental response and begging intensity, or between begging characteristics and proxies of a young’s need remain puzzling. Few studies have considered the adjustment of nestling begging features to previous experience as a possible explanation of these discrepancies. In this study, we tested the effect of a heterospecific rearing environment on individual developmental trajectories of the acoustic structure of nestling begging calls. Fifty-two zebra finch chicks were fostered either to Bengalese finch or to zebra finch parents, and begging calls were recorded at several stages of nestling development. Acoustic analyses revealed that the development of the spectral features of the begging calls differed between experimental conditions: chicks reared by Bengalese finches produced higher pitched and less broadband begging calls than chicks reared by conspecific parents. Differences were stronger in males than females and were not explained by differences in growth rate. We conclude that nestling begging calls can be plastic in response to social interactions with parents.

scholarly journals Born to sing! Song development in a singing primate

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chiara De Gregorio ◽  
Filippo Carugati ◽  
Vittoria Estienne ◽  
Daria Valente ◽  
Teresa Raimondi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vocal Communication ◽  
Developmental Trajectories ◽  
Ontogenetic Changes ◽  
Call Structure ◽  
Historical View ◽  
Singing Behavior ◽  
Vocal Behaviour ◽  
Temporal Features ◽  
Vocal Activity ◽  
Song Development

Abstract In animal vocal communication, the development of adult-like vocalization is fundamental to interact appropriately with conspecifics. However, the factors that guide ontogenetic changes in the acoustic features remains poorly understood. In contrast with a historical view of nonhuman primate vocal production as substantially innate, recent research suggests that inheritance and physiological modification can only explain some of the developmental changes in call structure during growth. A particular case of acoustic communication is the indris' singing behavior, a peculiar case among Strepsirrhine primates. Thanks to a decade of intense data collection, this work provides the first long-term quantitative analysis on song development in a singing primate. To understand the ontogeny of such a complex vocal output, we investigated juvenile and sub-adult indris' vocal behaviour, and we found that young individuals started participating in the chorus years earlier than previously reported. Our results indicated that spectro-temporal song parameters underwent essential changes during growth. In particular, the age and sex of the emitter influenced the indris' vocal activity. We found that frequency parameters showed consistent changes across the sexes, but the temporal features showed different developmental trajectories for males and females. Given the low level of morphological sexual dimorphism and the marked differences in vocal behavior, we hypothesize that factors like social influences and auditory feedback may affect songs' features, resulting in high vocal flexibility in juvenile indris. This trait may be pivotal in a species that engages in choruses with rapid vocal turn-taking.

scholarly journals Executive Function and Self-Regulation: Bi-Directional Longitudinal Associations and Prediction of Early Academic Skills

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven J. Howard ◽  
Elena Vasseleu ◽  
Cathrine Neilsen-Hewett ◽  
Marc de Rosnay ◽  
Amy Y. C. Chan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Executive Function ◽  
Academic Success ◽  
Developmental Trajectories ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Academic Skills ◽  
Neural Substrates ◽  
Early Years ◽  
Theoretical Frameworks ◽  
Composite Indices ◽  
Longitudinal Associations

Despite a tendency to study executive function (EF) and self-regulation (SR) separately, parallel lines of research suggest considerable overlap between the two abilities. Specifically, both show similar developmental trajectories (i.e., develop rapidly in the early years), predict a broad range of overlapping outcomes across the lifespan (e.g., academic success, mental and physical health, and social competence), and have overlapping neural substrates (e.g., prefrontal cortex). While theoretical frameworks diverge in how they reconcile EF and SR – ranging from treating the two as functionally synonymous, to viewing them as related yet distinct abilities – there is no consensus and limited empirical evidence on the nature of their relationship and how this extends developmentally. The current study examined bi-directional longitudinal associations between early EF and SR, and their longitudinal associations with subsequent early academic skills, in a sample of 199 3- to 5-year-old pre-school children. The adopted measures permitted EF and SR to be modelled as composite indices for these analyses, thereby decreasing task-specific components of these associations. Early academic skills were captured by a standardized direct assessment. Bi-directional associations between EF and SR were found, with both accounting for unique variance in early academic skills 7 and 19months later. The current results provide important evidence to distinguish between EF and SR abilities, yet also for their reciprocal influence in situ and across early development.

scholarly journals Parent-child communication in sport: Bridging the gap between theory and research

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marshall Xavier Grimm ◽  
Elizabeth Dorrance Hall ◽  
Charles Ryan Dunn ◽  
Travis Edward Dorsch
Keyword(s):  
Interpersonal Communication ◽  
Parental Influence ◽  
Communication Theory ◽  
Developmental Outcomes ◽  
Theoretical Frameworks ◽  
Parent Child Communication ◽  
Complete Set ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
Parent Child

Parent-child communication is integral to the acquisition of positive developmental outcomes from sport. This position paper offers useful interdisciplinary frameworks and theories for future researchers as they investigate questions pertaining to parentchild communication in organized youth sport. We propose such work is enhanced when grounded in family, human development, and interpersonal communication theory and literature. Specifically, theoretical frameworks from these areas assist researchers in determining salient research questions, choosing appropriate methodologies, and most importantly in the interpretation of findings. As researchers attempt to further understand parental influence in sport, the role of specific family processes like communication will shed light on the potential mechanisms that drive youth’s developmental outcomes. This knowledge will likely lead to better outcomes for youth participating in sport, and better relationships among family members in and out of the sport context. By gaining greater understanding of this phenomenon, researchers will have a more complete set of tools to educate parents, administrators, and coaches in an evidence-based way.

Birdsong learning in the laboratory, with especial reference to the song of the Zebra Finch (Taeniopygia guttata)

2011 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 324-350 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sébastien Derégnaucourt
Keyword(s):  
Zebra Finch ◽  
Social Influences ◽  
Vocal Learning ◽  
Taeniopygia Guttata ◽  
Speech Development ◽  
Song Learning ◽  
Sensitive Period ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Young Bird ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages

Vocal imitation in songbirds exhibits interesting parallels to infant speech development and is currently the model system of choice for exploring the behavioural, molecular and electrophysiological substrates of vocal learning. Among songbirds, the Zebra Finch (Taeniopygia guttata) is currently used as the ‘flying mouse’ of birdsong research. Only males sing and they develop their song primarily during a short sensitive period in early life. They learn their speciesspecific song patterns by memorizing and imitating the songs of conspecifics, mainly adults. Since Immelmann's pioneering work, thousands of zebra finches have been raised in strictly controlled auditory environments to examine how their experience affected their songs. In this article, I review the different experimental procedures that have been used in the laboratory to study the social influences on song learning in the Zebra Finch. Poor song learning was observed using passive playback of taped songs, whereas self-eliciting exposure using operant tutoring techniques induced significant learning, but with a high interindividual variability. The success of the training paradigm is often measured by the quality of imitation of the songs to which the young bird is exposed. Using empirical evidence from the field and the laboratory, I will also discuss this issue, by summarizing possible advantages and disadvantages of producing a perfect imitation. So far, the best method to get a close copy of a song model in the Zebra Finch is to place a single young bird with an adult male. This situation, which is rather unnatural, does not meet the criteria for precise control necessary in experimental conditions. Optimizing the methods used to train a zebra finch to learn a song, in order to be able to predict the imitation success, will improve our understanding of the dynamics of vocal production learning. It would also consolidate this species as a research model of relevance to human speech development and disorders. Keywords: Zebra Finch; birdsong; learning; development; memory; social influences

The Development of Mate Choice in Zebra Finch Females

Behaviour ◽  
1984 ◽  
Vol 90 (1-3) ◽  
pp. 125-150 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerry Mug ◽  
Carel Ten Cate
Keyword(s):  
Zebra Finch ◽  
Parental Influence ◽  
Visual Stimuli ◽  
Early Experience ◽  
Underlying Process ◽  
Initial Preference ◽  
Visual Characteristics ◽  
The One ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
Equal Interest

AbstractSONNEMANN & SJÖLANDER (1977) found that zebra finch females raised by their own species (Zz females) differ in mate preference from females raised by Bengalese finches (Zb females) when given the choice between a Z male and a B male. Their data also showed an own species bias (Zz females strongly preferred Z males, whereas Zb females showed about equal interest in Z and B males). Several authors mentioned the existence of a preference for species-specific characteristics independent of early experience (a so called 'innate' preference) as a cause for an own species bias. This conclusion can be doubted for theoretical and methodological reasons and the question for the processes leading to an own species bias in zebra finch females seems completely open. We investigated several possible causes of the own species bias. Our experiments suggest that the final preference in Z females may be influenced by three independent processes. First, visual stimuli are involved. Information on these seems to stem exclusively, or at least largely from parental influence. No initial preference for visual characteristics, independent of experience with Z or B has to be assumed. Second, experiments indicate that a preference for actively courting males is present. The process underlying this is unknown but seems independent of the one giving rise to a preference for visual stimuli. Third, during the period between raising and testing (during which the females were visually isolated) the preference changes with age. Here too, the underlying process is unclear. Several possible causes for this change are discussed. The process underlying it is probably different from the other two. Altogether the results indicate that the own species bias may be the result of several independent developmental processes, which in combination led to a bias in testing.

scholarly journals English Fricative Rendition of Educated Speakers of English from a North-Central City of Nigeria

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 57-79
Author(s):  
Eunice Fajobi
Keyword(s):  
Social Relations ◽  
Language Use ◽  
Central City ◽  
Theoretical Frameworks ◽  
North Central ◽  
Level Of Education ◽  
Test Items ◽  
Acoustic Analyses ◽  
Linguistic Challenges ◽  
Interdental Fricatives

This paper examines the influence of ethnicity on the realization of the English fricatives articulated by selected educated speakers of English from four ethnic groups of Ebira, Igala, Hausa and Okun-Yoruba residing in Lokoja, a North-Central city of Nigeria. Data for the study consist of 1080 tokens elicited from 120 informants. Guided by a synthesis of the theoretical frameworks of Honey’s (1997) Sociophonology and Azevedo’s (1981) Contrastive Phonology, perceptual and acoustic analyses of the data reveal that, although speakers have a tendency to not articulate sounds absent in their phonemic inventory with the dexterity expected of their level of education, co-habitation seems a factor that has robbed off on the speakers’ level of performance in this study: 80% overcame their linguistic challenges to correctly articulate the test items while 30% generally found it difficult to articulate the interdental fricatives /P/ and /D/ and the voiced palato-alveolar fricative /Z/; perhaps, because these sounds are absent in their respective phonemic inventories. The paper submits additionally that, phonology is still resistant to input (cf. Fajobi, 2013), level of education notwithstanding. However, positive social relations could impact positively on language use and competence in any pluralinguistic English as a second language (ESL) environment.

scholarly journals Notes on vocalizations of Brazilian amphibians IV: advertisement calls of 20 Atlantic Forest frog species

PeerJ ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. e7612 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucas Rodriguez Forti ◽  
Célio Fernando Baptista Haddad ◽  
Felipe Leite ◽  
Leandro de Oliveira Drummond ◽  
Clodoaldo de Assis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Atlantic Forest ◽  
Brazilian Atlantic Forest ◽  
Advertisement Calls ◽  
Call Structure ◽  
Biodiversity Research ◽  
Anuran Species ◽  
Frog Species ◽  
Acoustic Analyses ◽  
Taxonomic Groups ◽  
Species Taxonomy

Bioacoustics is a powerful tool used for anuran species diagnoses, given that advertisement calls are signals related to specific recognition and mate attraction. Thus, call descriptions can support species taxonomy. In spite of that, call descriptions are lacking for many species, delaying advances in biodiversity research. Here, we describe the advertisement calls of 20 anuran species from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. We accessed 50 digital recordings deposited in the Fonoteca Neotropical Jacques Vielliard. Acoustic analyses were carried out in the software Raven pro 1.5. We provide a general comparison of call structure among species inside taxonomic groups and genera. The vocalizations described here belong to poorly known species, which are representatives of six families: Brachycephalidae, Bufonidae, Ceratophryidae, Cycloramphidae, Hylidae, and Phyllomedusidae. Despite this, still there are 163 species of anurans from Atlantic Forest with calls not formally described. Our work represents an important step in providing data for a taxonomic perspective and improving the knowledge of the Atlantic Forest anuran diversity.

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