COMPARATIVE STUDY OF VOCAL LEARNING

声乐学习的比较研究

基本信息

批准号：
2243102
负责人：
PETER R MARLER
金额：
$ 26.5万
依托单位：
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT DAVIS
依托单位国家：
美国
项目类别：
财政年份：
1989
资助国家：
美国
起止时间：
1989-09-01 至 1999-03-31
项目状态：
已结题

项目摘要

Research is proposed on factors that modify sensitive periods for learning. Special foci are hormonal correlates of variations in readiness to learn at different stages of life, modifiability of sensitive learning periods by various hormonal treatments, and effects of environmental deprivation on delaying sensitive period closure. Avian vocal learning is used as the paradigm. There are correlations between fluctuations in the levels of steroid hormones in the blood serum during the first year of life, and the time when learning occurs most readily. These provide the basis for experiments in which castration early in life will be followed by various regimes of hormone therapy. Testosterone and estradiol will be used, both separately and in combination, as the best current prospects for a role in learning. The potential lability of sensitive periods will be explored by behavioral and hormonal manipulations. Subjects will be two bird species extensively studied in prior work, with different patterns of song structure and development. Radioimmunoassay techniques will be used to track variations in blood hormone levels. New techniques will be applied for automated computer analysis of recorded vocalizations. These provide major improvements in quantitative description of vocalizations, and tracking changes in the stability of vocal patterns as development procedes. Learning of both optimal and suboptimal stimuli will be studied, including the role of innate responsiveness to key elements which have "enabling" effects, and facilitate learning of suboptimal stimuli by their presence. A major effort will be made to reinstate vocal plasticity after closure of the sensitive learning period. Success in this endeavor will provide new insights into conditions under which neural plasticity can be reinstated at a time when the threshold for acquisition of new material is normally high. Sensitive periods are a focus of research in many aspects of developmental neurobiology, and parallels with imprinting and song learning are providing fruitful common ground with ethologists, psychiatrists and psychologists concerned with normal and abnormal human development. The results will have implications for understanding the impact on behavioral and neural development of restricted access to certain kinds of stimulation at particular stages of development.

对修改敏感周期的因素进行了研究学习。特殊焦点是准备就绪的荷尔蒙相关性在生活的不同阶段学习，敏感学习的可修改性各种荷尔蒙治疗的时期和环境的影响延迟敏感周期闭合时的剥夺。禽类学习是用作范式。在波动之间存在相关性第一年的血清中类固醇激素水平生活和学习的时间最容易发生。这些提供生命早期cast割的实验的基础激素治疗的各种方案。睾丸激素和雌二醇将是单独和结合使用，作为当前最佳前景在学习中的作用。敏感时期的潜在不稳定性将是通过行为和荷尔蒙操纵探索。受试者将是两个鸟类在先前的工作中进行了广泛的研究，具有不同的模式歌曲结构和发展。将使用放射免疫测定技术跟踪血液激素水平的变化。新技术将是应用于记录发声的自动计算机分析。这些在发声的定量描述中提供了重大改进，并跟踪声带的稳定性变化作为发展过程。学习最佳和次优刺激的学习将被研究，包括对拥有的关键要素的先天响应能力的作用 “启用”效果，并促进次优刺激的学习在场。在恢复声音可塑性之后，将做出重大努力敏感学习期的关闭。这项努力的成功将对神经可塑性的条件提供新的见解在获取新材料的阈值是通常高。敏感时期是许多方面研究的重点发展性神经生物学，以及与烙印和歌曲的相似之处学习为伦理学家提供富有成果的共同点，与正常和异常人有关的精神科医生和心理学家发展。结果将对理解对限制访问某些某些行为和神经发展的影响在特定发展阶段的刺激。