Relative salience of syllable structure and syllable order in zebra finch song.

ABSTRACT: There is a rich history of behavioral and neurobiological research focused on the 'syntax' of birdsong as a model for human language and complex auditory perception. Zebra finches are one of the most widely studied songbird species in this area of investigation. As they produce song syllables in a fixed sequence, it is reasonable to assume that adult zebra finches are also sensitive to the order of syllables within their song; however, results from electrophysiological and behavioral studies provide somewhat mixed evidence on exactly how sensitive zebra finches are to syllable order as compared, say, to syllable structure. Here, we investigate how well adult zebra finches can discriminate changes in syllable order relative to changes in syllable structure in their natural song motifs. In a

SUBMITTER: Lawson SL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6438364 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature