Songbird BioCognition: An integrative approach to understanding songbird communication

我的研究项目的主要目的是了解鸣禽的声音交流。我选择鸣禽作为模型系统有很多原因。重要的是，鸣禽以一种类似于人类语言学习的方式从一个模型中学习它们的发声。我也研究鸣禽和它们的声音交流，因为和人类一样，鸣禽的声音交流对它们的生存至关重要。声音交流在交配、领土建立和防御以及反捕食者行为中起着关键作用。我的总体研究问题是：“鸣禽是如何用它们的歌声和叫声进行交流的？”我和我的研究团队使用了许多不同的研究技术，都是为了回答这个首要的研究问题，以不同的方式接近这个问题。例如，我们测量并描述了鸣禽发出的声音，包括：它们的歌声，用来吸引配偶；它们的叫声有多种用途，包括在发现捕食者时发出警报。一旦对感兴趣的特定发声进行了详细描述，我们就可以确定该特定发声的哪些特征将其与其他类似发声区分开来。为了做到这一点，我们使用统计技术来识别每个发声中重要的特征。这些分析为野外或实验室鸟类行为实验的设计提供了信息。第二个实验阶段是对最初描述步骤的关键跟进，以便了解当鸟类感知到特定的声音时，它们自己认为什么是重要的。我们还研究了鸟类在听它们的声音时使用的大脑区域。为了完成这方面的工作，我们让鸟类接触不同的声音，然后用复杂的解剖学技术评估它们大脑中的活动模式，这些技术能够告诉我们哪些细胞是活跃的，这些细胞位于大脑的哪个位置，以及它们对哪些信号最敏感。最后，我们研究了早期经验在声音感知中的作用；也就是说，环境对鸟类成年后的感知有什么影响。我们通过在不同条件下（例如，与另一个物种）饲养年轻的鸣禽来解决这个问题，并将它们的感知与从野外捕获的鸟类进行比较。我们还对人类参与者进行了感知研究，类似于我们对鸣禽的感知研究。这使我们能够比较人类如何以一种与鸣禽直接可比的方式处理信号，从而揭示鸟类和人类之间的异同。综上所述，我们试图对鸣禽是如何交流的有一个广泛的了解，并以此来阐明我们自己的、人类的交流系统中的共同机制。

The main objective of my research program is to understand songbird vocal communication. I have chosen songbirds as a model system for many reasons. Importantly, songbirds learn their vocalizations from a model in a manner analogous to human speech learning. I also study songbirds and their vocal communication because, as with humans, vocal communication in songbirds is critical to their survival. Vocal communication plays a key role in mating, territory establishment and defence, as well as in anti-predator behaviour. My overall research question is: "How do songbirds communicate using their songs and calls?" My research team and I use many different research techniques that are all aimed at answering this one overarching research question, approaching the question in different ways. For instance, we measure and characterize the vocalizations that songbirds produce including: their songs, used to attract mates; and their calls, used for a variety of purposes, including raising alarm when a predator is detected. Once the particular vocalization of interest has been described in detail, we then determine what features of that particular vocalization sets it apart from other, similar vocalizations. To do this, we use statistical techniques designed to identify the features that are important in each vocalization. These analyses inform the design of behavioural experiments with birds in the field or in the laboratory. This second, experimental stage is a critical follow up to the initial descriptive step in order to understand what the birds themselves deem important when they perceive a particular vocalization. We also investigate which brain areas are used when birds listen to their vocalizations. To complete this aspect of our work, we expose birds to various vocalizations and then assess the patterns of activity in their brains using sophisticated anatomical techniques that are able to tell us what cells are active, where in the brain these cells are located, and for which signals they are most responsive. Finally, we examine the role that early experience plays in vocal perception; that is, what impact the environment plays in birds' perception in adulthood. We approach this question by raising young songbirds in different conditions (e.g., with another species) and test their perception compared to that of birds captured from the wild. We also conduct perceptual studies, similar to our songbird perceptual studies, in human participants. This allows us to compare how humans treat signals in a manner that is directly comparable to songbirds, thus exposing similarities and differences between birds and humans. Taken together, we seek to gain a broad understanding of how it is that songbirds communicate, and in so doing, shed light on common mechanisms in our own, human, communication system.