Acoustic mechanisms of note-type perception in black-capped chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) calls.
Acoustic communication in black-capped chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) has been studied intensively, the "chick-a-dee" call being among the most well described. This call consists of 4 note types; chickadees perceive these notes as open-ended categories and do so in a continuous manner, with As more similar to Bs and Bs more similar to Cs. Acoustic features contributing to the note-type differentiation are unknown. Recent analyses suggested that certain acoustic features may play a role in note-type classification. Here, the authors tested black-capped chickadees in an operant-conditioning paradigm to determine which features were controlling note-type perception. The results suggest that the note pitch and the frequency modulation in the initial portion of the note control the perception of note types.
Charrier
Isabelle
I
Department of Psychology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada. isabelle.charrier@ibaic.u-psud.fr
Lee
Tiffany T-Y
TT
Bloomfield
Laurie L
LL
Sturdy
Christopher B
CB
D000818:Animals; D001717:Birds; D004192:Discrimination, Psychological; D004455:Echolocation; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D014796:Visual Perception; D014828:Vocalization, Animal