Field Study of Passerine Learning

为期一年的深入实地研究将进行检查鸟类鸣叫学习的社会因素。这项工作的大部分理由来自最近的实验室研究，令人惊讶的是，一只幼鸟的歌曲学习至少受到他偷听到的唱歌互动的影响，因为它是由他与成人歌曲导师的直接互动。由于实验室实验的生态有效性有限，这些推论需要在实地直接证实。年轻的歌麻雀将通过无线电跟踪他们的第一年，使他们的运动模式和程度和时间的直接和窃听的互动与潜在的歌曲导师可以相关的程度，年轻的鸟类复制这些鸟类的歌曲。从现场和实验室的研究线的结果，然后可以整合到阐明的社会因素，形成这个模型的发声learning system.Song学习鸣禽的发展已经在实验室进行了广泛的分析，并已成为一个主要的模型系统，研究生态学，神经生物学和遗传学的学习。此外，鸟类的鸣叫学习和人类的语言学习之间有许多重要的相似之处。然而，尽管其更广泛的意义，只是最近才认识到社会因素在鸟类鸣叫学习中的重要性。因此，拟议的研究可以缩小我们对这个广泛研究的模型系统的理解的重大差距，并扩大应用于人类行为的潜力。从这种动物模型系统的研究中获得的见解最终可以用于解决自闭症和其他与社会学习和交流有关的发育障碍。

An intensive one-year field study will be carried out to examine social factors in bird song learning. Much of the rationale for this work comes from recent laboratory studies which have indicated, surprisingly, that a young bird's song learning is influenced at least as much by singing interactions he eavesdrops on as it is by direct interactions he has with adult song tutors. Because laboratory experiments always have limited ecological validity, these inferences need to be confirmed directly, in the field. Young song sparrows will be radio-tracked through their first year so that their movement patterns and the extent and timing of their direct and eavesdropped interactions with potential song tutors can be correlated with the degree to which the young birds copy the songs of these birds. Results from the field and laboratory lines of research can then be integrated to elucidate the social factors that shape the development of this model vocal learning system.Song learning in songbirds has been extensively analyzed in the laboratory and has become a major model system for studying the ecology, neurobiology and genetics of learning. In addition, there are many important parallels between bird song learning and human language learning. Yet despite its broader significance, it is only recently that the significance of social factors in bird song learning has been recognized. Thus the proposed research could close a significant gap in our understanding of this widely studied model system and broaden the potential of applications to human behavior. Insights gained from research on this animal model system can ultimately be used to address autism and other developmental disorders pertaining to social learning and communication.