Nearest neighbours reveal fast and slow components of motor learning.

ABSTRACT: Changes in behaviour resulting from environmental influences, development and learning^1-5 are commonly quantified on the basis of a few hand-picked features^2-4,6,7 (for example, the average pitch of acoustic vocalizations³), assuming discrete classes of behaviours (such as distinct vocal syllables)^2,3,8-10. However, such methods generalize poorly across different behaviours and model systems and may miss important components of change. Here we present a more-general account of behavioural change that is based on nearest-neighbour statistics^11-13, and apply it to song development in a songbird, the zebra finch³. First, we introduce the concept of 'repertoire dating', whereby each rendition of a behaviour (for example, each vo

SUBMITTER: Kollmorgen S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7610670 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature