TY - JOUR
T1 - Vocal learning beyond imitation
T2 - Mechanisms of adaptive vocal development in songbirds and human infants
AU - Tchernichovski, Ofer
AU - Marcus, Gary
PY - 2014/10
Y1 - 2014/10
N2 - Studies of vocal learning in songbirds typically focus on the acquisition of sensory templates for song imitation and on the consequent process of matching song production to templates. However, functional vocal development also requires the capacity to adaptively diverge from sensory templates, and to flexibly assemble vocal units. Examples of adaptive divergence include the corrective imitation of abnormal songs, and the decreased tendency to copy over-abundant syllables. Such frequency-dependent effects might mirror tradeoffs between the assimilation of group identity (culture) while establishing individual and flexibly expressive songs. Intriguingly, although the requirements for vocal plasticity vary across songbirds, and more so between birdsong and language, the capacity to flexibly assemble vocal sounds develops in a similar, stepwise manner across species. Therefore, universal features of vocal learning go well beyond the capacity to imitate.
AB - Studies of vocal learning in songbirds typically focus on the acquisition of sensory templates for song imitation and on the consequent process of matching song production to templates. However, functional vocal development also requires the capacity to adaptively diverge from sensory templates, and to flexibly assemble vocal units. Examples of adaptive divergence include the corrective imitation of abnormal songs, and the decreased tendency to copy over-abundant syllables. Such frequency-dependent effects might mirror tradeoffs between the assimilation of group identity (culture) while establishing individual and flexibly expressive songs. Intriguingly, although the requirements for vocal plasticity vary across songbirds, and more so between birdsong and language, the capacity to flexibly assemble vocal sounds develops in a similar, stepwise manner across species. Therefore, universal features of vocal learning go well beyond the capacity to imitate.
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U2 - 10.1016/j.conb.2014.06.002
DO - 10.1016/j.conb.2014.06.002
M3 - Review article
C2 - 25005823
AN - SCOPUS:84903823648
SN - 0959-4388
VL - 28
SP - 42
EP - 47
JO - Current Opinion in Neurobiology
JF - Current Opinion in Neurobiology
ER -