Defining the rhythmicity of memory-enhancing acoustic stimuli in the young domestic chick (Gallus gallus).
Research has demonstrated that exposure to a rhythmic auditory stimulus can promote retention of a simple memory task in an avian species. In the current study, day-old domestic chicks (Gallus gallus) were trained on a weakly reinforced discriminative avoidance task for which retention is typically lost 30 min posttraining. Exposure to rhythmic stimuli 5 min posttraining prevented memory loss, but only when sequences were highly metrical and contained sufficient repetition. These data provide further support for the claim that rhythmicity is a key feature of memory-enhancing auditory stimuli.
Rickard
Nikki S
NS
School of Psychology, Psychiatry & Psychological Medicine, Monash University, CAulfield East, Victoria, 3145, Australia. nikki.rickard@med.monash.edu.au
D000161:Acoustic Stimulation / Q000379:methods*; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001307:Auditory Perception / Q000502:physiology; D001362:Avoidance Learning / Q000502:physiology; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D002645:Chickens / Q000502:physiology*; D003214:Conditioning, Classical / Q000502:physiology; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D010507:Periodicity; D014828:Vocalization, Animal / Q000502:physiology*