Biomaterial Database

Auditory intensity discrimination in blackbirds and pigeons. 1980

R D Hienz, and J M Sinnott, and M B Sachs

Redwing blackbirds, brown-headed cowbirds, and pigeons were trained with operant conditioning techniques to respond to small increases in the intensity of pulsed tone trains at three frequencies: .5, 1.0, and 2.0 kHz. All three species produced similar intensity difference limens (DLs) at the frequencies tested. Intensity DLs decreased as sensation level (intensity level above absolute threshold) increased at all three frequencies, with the slopes of these sensation level functions being greatest at 2.0 kHz . The median intensity DLs at 50 dB sensation level were 3.3, 2.7, and 2.9 dB at .5, 1.0, and 2.0 kHz, respectively, averaged over the three species. Some subjects were also required to detect decreases in intensity. They produced intensity DLs two to three times larger than the DLs obtained when these same subjects were required to detect increases in intensity. Avian intensity DLs generally appear to be 1-2 dB higher than the DLs of those mammals that have been tested (rat, cat, monkey, humans).

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008144	Loudness Perception	The perceived attribute of a sound which corresponds to the physical attribute of intensity.	Loudness Perceptions,Perception, Loudness,Perceptions, Loudness
D008297	Male		Males
D010856	Columbidae	Family in the order COLUMBIFORMES, comprised of pigeons or doves. They are BIRDS with short legs, stout bodies, small heads, and slender bills. Some sources call the smaller species doves and the larger pigeons, but the names are interchangeable.	Columba livia,Doves,Pigeons,Domestic Pigeons,Feral Pigeons,Rock Doves,Rock Pigeons,Domestic Pigeon,Dove,Dove, Rock,Doves, Rock,Feral Pigeon,Pigeon,Pigeon, Domestic,Pigeon, Feral,Pigeon, Rock,Pigeons, Domestic,Pigeons, Feral,Pigeons, Rock,Rock Dove,Rock Pigeon
D010898	Pitch Perception	A dimension of auditory sensation varying with cycles per second of the sound stimulus.	Perception, Pitch,Perceptions, Pitch,Pitch Perceptions
D003216	Conditioning, Operant	Learning situations in which the sequence responses of the subject are instrumental in producing reinforcement. When the correct response occurs, which involves the selection from among a repertoire of responses, the subject is immediately reinforced.	Instrumental Learning,Learning, Instrumental,Operant Conditioning,Conditionings, Operant,Instrumental Learnings,Learnings, Instrumental,Operant Conditionings
D004193	Discrimination Learning	Learning that is manifested in the ability to respond differentially to various stimuli.	Discriminative Learning,Discrimination Learnings,Discriminative Learnings,Learning, Discrimination,Learning, Discriminative
D005260	Female		Females
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D001717	Birds	Warm-blooded VERTEBRATES possessing FEATHERS and belonging to the class Aves.	Aves,Bird