Birds and babies : a comparison of the early development in vocal learners

Haar, S.M. ter (2013)

Doctoral Thesis

This thesis provides a comparison of mostly perceptual development during vocal learning in songbirds (zebra finches) and human infants. The aim is to disentangle experience dependent and independent processes during vocal learning. In both human infants and juvenile songbirds, a perceptual preference for __universal__ sounds was found, independent of adult auditory input. Later in development, both infants and juvenile songbirds show a change is preference. The juvenile songbirds clearly change their preference towards sounds they have been auditorily exposed to (chapter 3). In human infants in the influence of experience is less clear in this thesis. In combination with previous literature the most likely scenario is a combination of experience dependent and independent processes (chapter 2). To further compare human and birdsong phonology, a __typology__ of zebra finch song elements was performed (chapter 4). The results of this study indicate commonality as well as variation between populations in terms of phonology. In the order of elements within a sequence however, there is little evidence for common patterns across populations and there is variation within and between populations. In summary, this thesis shows similarities in developmental mechanisms in two vocally learning species. There might be a link between development and typology.

• Behaviour
• Perpetual bias
• Phonology
• Markedness
• Predisposition
• Experience
• Development
• Infant
• Language acquisition
• Birdsong

• All authors: Haar, S.M. ter
• Supervisor: Cate, C.J. ten
• Co-supervisor: Levelt, C.C.
• Qualification: Doctor (dr.)
• Awarding Institution: Faculty of Science, Leiden University
• Date: 2013-06-05
• ISBN (print): 9789088916397