Evidence for a perception of prosodic cues in bat communication: contact call classification by Megaderma lyra
Evidence for a perception of prosodic cues in bat communication: contact call classification by Megaderma lyra
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DOI：
10.1007/s00359-009-0441-8
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发表时间：
2009-07-01
影响因子：
2.1
通讯作者：
Schmidt, Sabine
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Janssen, Simone;Schmidt, Sabine
人类语言中韵律线索的感知可能植根于哺乳动物共同的机制。本研究探讨了蝙蝠在多大程度上使用节奏和频率（通常在人类语言中携带韵律信息）来对通信呼叫系列进行分类。使用两种选择的强制选择程序，我们训练Megaderma lyra区分不同频率的合成接触呼叫系列，呼叫水平上的节奏和呼叫系列水平上的节奏，并测量仅在上述参数中的一个或两个不同的刺激的分类性能。与基于一个、两个或所有参数的组合的模型预测的比较显示，蝙蝠的决策主要基于频率和呼叫序列水平的节奏，而在这种范式中，呼叫水平的节奏没有被考虑在内。此外，频率和节奏在呼叫序列的水平上被独立评估。我们的研究结果表明，与人类语言韵律线索相对应的参数被蝙蝠感知和评估。因此，哺乳动物通过韵律结构进行交流的这些必要先决条件在人类语言之前就已经进化了。
The perception of prosodic cues in human speech may be rooted in mechanisms common to mammals. The present study explores to what extent bats use rhythm and frequency, typically carrying prosodic information in human speech, for the classification of communication call series. Using a two-alternative, forced choice procedure, we trained Megaderma lyra to discriminate between synthetic contact call series differing in frequency, rhythm on level of calls and rhythm on level of call series, and measured the classification performance for stimuli differing in only one, or two, of the above parameters. A comparison with predictions from models based on one, combinations of two, or all, parameters revealed that the bats based their decision predominantly on frequency and in addition on rhythm on the level of call series, whereas rhythm on level of calls was not taken into account in this paradigm. Moreover, frequency and rhythm on the level of call series were evaluated independently. Our results show that parameters corresponding to prosodic cues in human languages are perceived and evaluated by bats. Thus, these necessary prerequisites for a communication via prosodic structures in mammals have evolved far before human speech.