Perception of Communication Calls in the Zebra Finch
Frederic Theunissen, Professor
Psychology
Applications for Fall 2024 are closed for this project.
Project Description:
The zebra finch has a very rich vocal repertoire of communication calls that are used in distinct behavioral contexts: peer recognition and localization, mate interactions, offspring care, etc. We previously gathered a huge bank of these calls, classifying them along semantic categories, i.e. groups of calls with the same meaning, as inferred from the observation of birds' behavioral interactions when they vocalize. We have now embarked on 'cracking the code' of this bird language. We are investigating, for instance: What are the acoustic parameters encoding meaning in these vocalizations? How do finches perceive the meaning of these vocalizations? What are the neuronal computations at stake for extracting the meaning?
The present project aims to identify the perceptual categorization of the vocalizations by zebra finches irrespective of the vocal characteristics of the vocalizers. The idea is to verify the meaning categories that we inferred from observing the birds' behavior by asking the finches themselves. Using an operant conditioning task (a design and protocol already developed in the lab), we want to identify how zebra finches group their vocalizations into semantic categories. In some cases, we will be simultaneously recording neural activity while birds are performing the auditory discrimination tasks.
Role: Duties:
Experimental commitment should add up to about 1 hour daily on 5 days out of the week. The apprentice should expect to spend ~1/2 hr to prepare and initiate the tests in the morning (getting conditioning apparatus ready, weighing finches...), and return to spend ~1/2 hour concluding the tests (stopping the tests, returning birds back to the colony...). Additional commitment will involve communicating results and helping to plan further tests. The apprentice will meet regularly with the supervisor to analyze and interpret results, and with the laboratory assistant to discuss bird health and facilities maintenance. Experiments could also be run on the weekends if equipment scheduling allows.
The apprentice will be given a reading list and will be invited to attend weekly lab meetings. At the end of the term, the apprentice will prepare an oral presentation, to be given at one of our lab meetings, about the results of the experiment, as per the URAP contract. Expected outcomes include practicing scientific habits of mind, learning about operant conditioning and social communication behaviors, computational skills performed with guidance in Python/R, understanding of statistics, and skills in data representation.
Research Site: Northwest Animal Facility
Qualifications: The undergraduate research apprentice will be involved in both data acquisition and in data analysis. The most important qualification is an interest in animal behavior and vocal communication. Experience with animal behavioral experiments, sound analysis and programming (especially Python) are a plus.
Day-to-day supervisor for this project: Logan Thomas, Graduate Student
Hours: 6-8 hrs
Related website: http://theunissen.berkeley.edu/
Biological & Health Sciences