Temporal scales of auditory objects underlying birdsong vocal recognition

摘要: Vocal recognition is common among songbirds, and provides an excellent model system to study the perceptual neurobiological mechanisms for processing natural vocal communication signals. Male European starlings, a species of songbird, learn recognize songs multiple conspecific males by attending stereotyped acoustic patterns, these learned patterns elicit selective neuronal responses in auditory forebrain neurons. The present investigates grouping spectrotemporal starling song at temporal scales. results show that permutations sequencing submotif features have significant effects on recognition, are specific comprise motifs. observations suggest (1) motifs form objects embedded hierarchy (2) object-based perception emerges without explicit reinforcement, (3) scales within pattern convey information about individual identity singer. authors discuss context object formation talker recognition.