Phan et al. (2006)

Question 1

Aim

Answer 1

• to see if early auditory experiences generate auditory memories that guide vocal imitation

Question 2

Prediction

Answer 2

• That early auditory experiences generate auditory memories that guide vocal imitation
• that the NCM contains an auditory memory of the tutor’s song
• that the deficits in memory should result in deficits in imitation

Question 3

Method

Answer 3

• raised juvenile male zebra finches in a controlled song tutoring situation
• they assessed the degree of accuracy with imitation of the tutor’s song in adulthood,
• and measured the strength of their memory for the tutor song by recording neuronal responses in the NCM to a variety of familiar and novel auditory stimuli in adulthood

Question 4

Results

Answer 4

• song similarity index of experimentally tutored birds was not significantly different from the similarity index of bird raised by their parents in a family cage
• therefore, tutoring results in a comparable song imitation to that which occurs in the normal social learning context
• even untutored birds show some similarity to the tutor song in the study which reflects the basic acoustic features shared among conspecific zebra finch songs
• early acoustic experiences shape adult memories
• strength of auditory memory correlates with learning
• neurons in a forebrain auditory area of adult male zebra finches are selectively tuned to the song of a tutor heard early in development. Furthermore, the strength of this selectivity shows a striking correlation with the fidelity of vocal imitation, suggesting that this auditory memory may have served as the model for song learning.

Question 5

Limitations

Answer 5

only one bird was studied

Question 6

Strength

Answer 6

• found that an auditory memory of the tutor song is acquired during the sensory phase of song learning, which guides vocal imitation in the sensorimotor stage of song learning