scholarly journals The Effects of Pitch Shifts on Delay-induced Changes in Vocal Sequencing in a Songbird

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
MacKenzie Wyatt ◽  
Emily A. Berthiaume ◽  
Conor W. Kelly ◽  
Samuel J. Sober
Keyword(s):  
Auditory Feedback ◽  
Behavioral Changes ◽  
Vocal Behavior ◽  
Vocal Performance ◽  
Branch Points ◽  
Small Perturbations ◽  
Acoustic Target ◽  
Vocal Acoustics ◽  
Effects Of Feedback ◽  
Induced Changes

AbstractLike human speech, vocal behavior in songbirds depends critically on auditory feedback. In both humans and songbirds, vocal skills are acquired by a process of imitation whereby current vocal production is compared to an acoustic target. Similarly, performance in adulthood relies strongly on auditory feedback, and online manipulations of auditory signals can dramatically alter acoustic production even after vocalizations have been well learned. Artificially delaying auditory feedback can disrupt both speech and birdsong, and internal delays in auditory feedback have been hypothesized as a cause of vocal dysfluency in persons who stutter. Furthermore, in both song and speech online shifts of the pitch (fundamental frequency) of auditory feedback lead to compensatory changes in vocal pitch for small perturbations, but larger pitch shifts produce smaller changes in vocal output. Intriguingly, large pitch shifts can partially restore normal speech in some dysfluent speakers, suggesting that the effects of auditory feedback delays might be ameliorated by online pitch manipulations. While birdsong provides a promising model system for understanding speech production, the interaction between sensory feedback delays and pitch shifts have not yet been assessed in songbirds. To investigate this, we asked whether the addition of a pitch shift modulates delay-induced changes in Bengalese finch song, hypothesizing that pitch shifts would reduce the effects of feedback delays. Compared the effects of delays alone, combined delays and pitch shifts resulted in a significant reduction in behavioral changes in one type of sequencing (branch points) but not another (distribution of repeated syllables).Significance StatementVocal behavior depends critically on an organism’s ability to monitor the sound of its own voice (“auditory feedback”). Studies of both humans and songbirds have demonstrated that successful vocal performance depends critically on the quality and timing of such feedback, however the interaction between vocal acoustics and the timing of auditory feedback is unclear. Here we used songbirds to examine this interaction by measuring vocal performance during delays and distortions (pitch shifts) of auditory feedback.

scholarly journals Predicting plasticity: acute context-dependent changes to vocal performance predict long-term age-dependent changes

2015 ◽  
Vol 114 (4) ◽  
pp. 2328-2339 ◽  
Author(s):  
Logan S. James ◽  
Jon T. Sakata
Keyword(s):  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Temporal Structure ◽  
Vocal Performance ◽  
Branch Points ◽  
Vocal Plasticity ◽  
Repeated Measures Design ◽  
Age Dependent ◽  
Context Dependent ◽  
The Stability ◽  
Over Time

Understanding the factors that predict and guide variation in behavioral change can lend insight into mechanisms of motor plasticity and individual differences in behavior. The performance of adult birdsong changes with age in a manner that is similar to rapid context-dependent changes to song. To reveal mechanisms of vocal plasticity, we analyzed the degree to which variation in the direction and magnitude of age-dependent changes to Bengalese finch song could be predicted by variation in context-dependent changes. Using a repeated-measures design, we found that variation in age-dependent changes to the timing, sequencing, and structure of vocal elements (“syllables”) was significantly predicted by variation in context-dependent changes. In particular, the degree to which the duration of intersyllable gaps, syllable sequencing at branch points, and fundamental frequency of syllables within spontaneous [undirected (UD)] songs changed over time was correlated with the degree to which these features changed from UD song to female-directed (FD) song in young-adult finches (FDyoung). As such, the structure of some temporal features of UD songs converged over time onto the structure of FDyoung songs. This convergence suggested that the FDyoung song could serve as a stable target for vocal motor plasticity. Consequently, we analyzed the stability of FD song and found that the temporal structure of FD song changed significantly over time in a manner similar to UD song. Because FD song is considered a state of heightened performance, these data suggest that age-dependent changes could reflect practice-related improvements in vocal motor performance.

scholarly journals Social Context Rapidly Modulates the Influence of Auditory Feedback on Avian Vocal Motor Control

2009 ◽  
Vol 102 (4) ◽  
pp. 2485-2497 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jon T. Sakata ◽  
Michael S. Brainard
Keyword(s):  
Social Context ◽  
Auditory Feedback ◽  
Sensory Feedback ◽  
Vocal Performance ◽  
Performance Framework ◽  
The Social ◽  
Song Control ◽  
And Control ◽  
Motor Production ◽  
Computerized System

Sensory feedback is important for the learning and control of a variety of behaviors. Vocal motor production in songbirds is a powerful model system to study sensory influences on behavior because the learning, maintenance, and control of song are critically dependent on auditory feedback. Based on previous behavioral and neural experiments, it has been hypothesized that songs produced in isolation [undirected (UD) song] represent a form of vocal practice, whereas songs produced to females during courtship interactions [female-directed (FD) song] represent a form of vocal performance. According to this “practice versus performance” framework, auditory feedback should be more influential when birds engage in vocal practice than when they engage in vocal performance. To directly test this hypothesis, we used a computerized system to perturb auditory feedback at precise locations during the songs of Bengalese finches and compared the degree to which feedback perturbations caused song interruptions as well as changes to the sequencing and timing of syllables between interleaved renditions of UD and FD song. We found that feedback perturbation caused fewer song interruptions and smaller changes to syllable timing during FD song than during UD song. These data show that changes in the social context in which song is produced rapidly modulate the influence of auditory feedback on song control in a manner consistent with the practice versus performance framework. More generally, they indicate that, for song, as for other motor skills including human speech, the influence of sensory feedback on activity within vocal premotor circuitry can be dynamically modulated.

scholarly journals Specific plasticity loci and their synergism mediate operant conditioning

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuto Momohara ◽  
Curtis L. Neveu ◽  
Hsin-Mei Chen ◽  
Douglas A. Baxter ◽  
John H. Byrne
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Feeding Behavior ◽  
Operant Conditioning ◽  
Neuronal Excitability ◽  
Neural Circuit ◽  
Electrical Coupling ◽  
Behavioral Changes ◽  
Intrinsic Excitability ◽  
Inhibitory Connection ◽  
Induced Changes

AbstractDespite numerous studies examining the mechanisms of operant conditioning (OC), the diversity of plasticity loci and their synergism have not been examined sufficiently. In the well-characterized feeding neural circuit of Aplysia, appetitive OC increases neuronal excitability and electrical coupling among several neurons. Here we found OC decreased the intrinsic excitability of B4 and the strength of its inhibitory connection to a key decision-making neuron, B51. The OC-induced changes were specific without affecting the B4-to-B8 inhibitory connection or excitability of another neuron critical for feeding behavior, B8. A conductance-based circuit model indicated certain sites of plasticity mediated the OC phenotype more effectively and that plasticity loci acted synergistically. This synergy was specific in that only certain combinations of loci synergistically enhanced feeding. Taken together, these results suggest modifications of diverse loci work synergistically to mediate OC.Significance StatementThe diversity and synergism of plasticity loci mediating operant conditioning (OC) is poorly understood. Here we found that OC decreased the intrinsic excitability of a critical neuron mediating Aplysia feeding behavior and specifically reduced the strength of one of its inhibitory connections to a key decision-making neuron. A conductance-based computational model indicated that the known plasticity loci showed a surprising level of synergism to mediate the behavioral changes associated with OC. These results highlight the importance of understanding the diversity, specificity and synergy among different types of plasticity that encode memory. Also, because OC in Aplysia is mediated by dopamine (DA), the present study provides insights into specific and synergistic mechanisms of DA-mediated reinforcement of behaviors.

Navigating the New Normal: An S-O-R Perspective on Student Experiences of Environmental, Psychological, and Behavioral Changes During the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
pp. 027347532110651
Author(s):  
Aditya Gupta ◽  
Chiharu Ishida
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Behavioral Changes ◽  
Student Experiences ◽  
New Normal ◽  
Personal Lives ◽  
Time Result ◽  
Key Dimensions ◽  
Induced Changes ◽  
Qualitative Exploration ◽  
Over Time

Although higher education has weathered many past challenges, none can compare with the magnitude and velocity of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Although students continued their academic careers despite hardships, as yet little is known about how they experienced and adapted to various pandemic-induced changes to their academic and personal lives. We address this gap through a qualitative exploration of student experiences of navigating the new normal which they were abruptly thrust into near the end of the Spring 2020 semester. Using a guided introspection methodology and a Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) framework, we unearth a dynamic process of psychological and behavioral changes that students experienced in response to the environmental changes brought about by the pandemic. We theorize that environmental dissolution and displacement trigger psychological reorientation, causing students to undertake behavioral practices of restructuration and reconfiguration that, over time, result in a degree of psychological revaluation. Our overall framework represents a fluid conceptualization that is not only more descriptive of real-world student progress but also more parsimonious in its account of key dimensions of student experience during the pandemic. We conclude by noting the implications of our framework for marketing educators and administrators, especially given the growing popularity of remote working.

Effects of Auditory Feedback Deprivation on Expressive Piano Performance

1999 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 409-438 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruno H. Repp
Keyword(s):  
Auditory Feedback ◽  
Internal Representation ◽  
Forced Choice ◽  
Fine Tuning ◽  
Choice Test ◽  
Piano Performance ◽  
Data Analyses ◽  
Musical Excerpt ◽  
Effects Of Feedback ◽  
A Performance

Previous studies have suggested that elimination of auditory feedback has no significant effect on the accuracy of keyboard performance. In the present study, this issue was investigated further by focusing specifically on parameters of expression in piano performance: horizontal and vertical timing, horizontal and vertical dynamics, and pedaling. Six pianists performed a short musical excerpt (bars 1-5 of Chopin's Etude in E Major, op. 10, no. 3) 10 times on a digital piano in each of four conditions: expressive with and without feedback, and metronomic with and without feedback. The data analyses revealed significant effects of feedback deprivation on all expressive parameters in both expressive and metronomic performance. However, these effects were very small, except for some substantial changes in pedaling by some pianists. To determine the perceptual and aesthetic significance of these effects, a group of pianist listeners was presented with a forced- choice test in which expressive performances produced with and without feedback were paired with each other. The listeners correctly identified the performance played without feedback on only 63.5% of the trials, which confirms the relative subtlety of the effects of feedback deprivation. Although expression seems to be controlled primarily by an internal representation of the music, auditory feedback may be important in fine-tuning a performance and in the control of pedaling. However, it is also possible that the effects of auditory feedback deprivation merely reflect a lack of motivation to play expressively in the absence of sound.

scholarly journals Auditory-Motor Perturbations of Voice Fundamental Frequency: Feedback Delay and Amplification

2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (9) ◽  
pp. 2846-2860 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hasini R. Weerathunge ◽  
Defne Abur ◽  
Nicole M. Enos ◽  
Katherine M. Brown ◽  
Cara E. Stepp
Keyword(s):  
Fundamental Frequency ◽  
Auditory Feedback ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Control Mechanisms ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Specific Feedback ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Auditory Amplification ◽  
Effects Of Feedback ◽  
Voice Fundamental Frequency

Purpose Gradual and sudden perturbations of vocal fundamental frequency ( f o ), also known as adaptive and reflexive f o perturbations, are techniques to study the influence of auditory feedback on voice f o control mechanisms. Previous vocal f o perturbations have incorporated varied setup-specific feedback delays and amplifications. Here, we investigated the effects of feedback delays (10–100 ms) and amplifications on both adaptive and reflexive f o perturbation paradigms, encapsulating the variability in equipment-specific delays (3–45 ms) and amplifications utilized in previous experiments. Method Responses to adaptive and reflexive f o perturbations were recorded in 24 typical speakers for four delay conditions (10, 40, 70, and 100 ms) or three amplification conditions (−10, +5, and +10 dB relative to microphone) in a counterbalanced order. Repeated-measures analyses of variance were carried out on the magnitude of f o responses to determine the effect of feedback condition. Results There was a statistically significant effect of the level of auditory feedback amplification on the response magnitude during adaptive f o perturbations, driven by the difference between +10- and −10-dB amplification conditions (hold phase difference: M = 38.3 cents, SD = 51.2 cents; after-effect phase: M = 66.1 cents, SD = 84.6 cents). No other statistically significant effects of condition were found for either paradigm. Conclusions Experimental equipment delays below 100 ms in behavioral paradigms do not affect the results of f o perturbation paradigms. As there is no statistically significant difference between the response magnitudes elicited by +5- and +10-dB auditory amplification conditions, this study is a confirmation that an auditory feedback amplification of +5 dB relative to microphone is sufficient to elicit robust compensatory responses for f o perturbation paradigms.

scholarly journals Explorative Frequency Analysis of Leaf Temperature Behavior of Maize (Zea mays subsp. mays) at Water Deficit

Plants ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 105
Author(s):  
Friederike Kögler ◽  
Dirk Söffker
Keyword(s):  
Water Stress ◽  
Frequency Analysis ◽  
Developmental Stages ◽  
Explanatory Power ◽  
Leaf Temperature ◽  
Behavioral Changes ◽  
Temperature Behavior ◽  
Temperature Oscillations ◽  
Analysis Of Results ◽  
Induced Changes

In this study, different standard frequency analysis (FA) methods are applied to measured leaf temperature data of maize plants (developmental stages EC13–15). These FA methods are used to identify specific behaviors, regularities, and sudden changes in frequencies/amplitudes of data, e.g., in control engineering. The thorough application of different FA methods in plant studies is novel. The aim of this paper is to analyze features of the measured data and to explore the explanatory power of different methods for the detection of plant dynamic behavioral changes. The basic assumption is an expected relation between plant water stress and resulting changes in leaf temperature oscillations caused by stress-induced changes in stomatal behavior. Therefore, an irrigation experiment (laboratory; controlled environmental conditions) was implemented to compare leaf temperature behavior of stressed and unstressed plants. Leaf temperature time series are processed and the results are compared as functions of time showing the behavioral changes in terms of the different methods applied. The analysis of results is explained; conclusions, which can be made based on different methods, are given. The study confirms the applicability of FA methods and provides new insights into leaf temperature behavioral patterns. Results are discussed regarding the hypothesized incipience of leaf temperature oscillations due to water stress.

scholarly journals Speed of Processing and Personality: The Influence of Personality and Extrinsic Feedback on the Performance of Cognitive Tasks

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 76
Author(s):  
Ming Yu Claudia Wong ◽  
Pak Kwong Chung ◽  
Ka Man Leung
Keyword(s):  
Personality Traits ◽  
Cognitive Task ◽  
Pearson Correlation ◽  
Effective Means ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Mixed Effect ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Extrinsic Feedback ◽  
Effects Of Feedback ◽  
Induced Changes

Background: Feedback is considered as an effective means of motivating, guiding, and reinforcing desired behaviours. However, the ways to interpret external feedback may be different among individuals with different personality traits; therefore, this would influence the effects of feedback on performance. Accordingly, the influencing effects of personality towards different styles of feedback on cognitive task performance were examined. Methods: Participants (N = 71) were given three Stroop tasks as a dependent variable, whereas the Trail Making Task was an independent variable; additionally, a personality test was used to record the personality traits of each participant. The relationship between personality and feedback-induced changes in Stroop performance was computed by means of Pearson correlation, followed by a mixed-effect model to demonstrate the effect of personality on the overall performance with feedback. Results: The statistical analysis indicated that performance from those with higher levels of extraversion generally profitted from feedback, irrespective of whether it was negative feedback (r = 0.201) or positive feedback (r = 0.205). Additionally, the moderating effect of personality on feedback and performance was demonstrated. Conclusions: The limitations of the sample size and other external influences may have reduced the representativeness of the research. Nonetheless, more potential influencing factors need to be included and explored in future research.

scholarly journals Pain Behavior Changes Following Disc Puncture Relate to Nucleus Pulposus Rather than to the Disc Injury Per Se: An Experimental Study in Rats

2011 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 72-77 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elin Nilsson ◽  
Toshio Nakamae ◽  
Kjell Olmarker
Keyword(s):  
Nucleus Pulposus ◽  
Behavioral Changes ◽  
Behavior Changes ◽  
Wet Dog Shakes ◽  
Sham Exposure ◽  
Spontaneous Behavior ◽  
Disc Injury ◽  
Ventral Disc ◽  
Per Se ◽  
Induced Changes

It has previously been demonstrated that disc puncture in the rat induced changes in grooming and wet dog shakes, two behavioral changes that may be linked to discomfort and neuropathic pain. In this study the aim was to separate the effects of disc injury and the epidural presence of nucleus pulposus. Following anesthesia, the L4-5 disc was exposed using a dorsal approach. Ten rats received a superficial disc injury without nucleus pulposus leakage and ten rats received nucleus pulposus from a donor rat without disc injury. In ten animals the L4-5 disc was punctured using a ventral approach, with 10 corresponding controls. Spontaneous behavior was assessed after surgery. The data was matched to historical control of dorsal sham surgery and disc puncture. The study showed that the effects of nucleus pulposus were more pronounced than the effects induced by the disc injury. Ventral disc puncture did not induce any behavioral changes different from sham exposure. In conclusion, the data from the study indicate that behavioral changes induced by disc puncture are more likely to relate to the epidural presence of nucleus pulposus than the disc injury per se.

scholarly journals Auditory synapses to song premotor neurons are gated off during vocalization in zebra finches

eLife ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kosuke Hamaguchi ◽  
Katherine A Tschida ◽  
Inho Yoon ◽  
Bruce R Donald ◽  
Richard Mooney
Keyword(s):  
Auditory Feedback ◽  
Synaptic Activity ◽  
Zebra Finches ◽  
Intracellular Recordings ◽  
Multiphoton Imaging ◽  
Vocal Plasticity ◽  
Premotor Neurons ◽  
Anterior Forebrain ◽  
Induced Changes

Songbirds use auditory feedback to learn and maintain their songs, but how feedback interacts with vocal motor circuitry remains unclear. A potential site for this interaction is the song premotor nucleus HVC, which receives auditory input and contains neurons (HVCX cells) that innervate an anterior forebrain pathway (AFP) important to feedback-dependent vocal plasticity. Although the singing-related output of HVCX cells is unaltered by distorted auditory feedback (DAF), deafening gradually weakens synapses on HVCX cells, raising the possibility that they integrate feedback only at subthreshold levels during singing. Using intracellular recordings in singing zebra finches, we found that DAF failed to perturb singing-related synaptic activity of HVCX cells, although many of these cells responded to auditory stimuli in non-singing states. Moreover, in vivo multiphoton imaging revealed that deafening-induced changes to HVCX synapses require intact AFP output. These findings support a model in which the AFP accesses feedback independent of HVC.

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