Dec. 20, 2012 — Scientists studying how
songbirds stay on key have developed a statistical explanation for why some
things are harder for the brain to learn than others.
"We've built the first mathematical model
that uses a bird's previous sensorimotor experience to predict its ability to
learn," says Emory biologist Samuel Sober. "We hope it will help us
understand the math of learning in other species, including humans."
Sober conducted the research with physiologist
Michael Brainard of the University of California, San Francisco.
Their results, showing that adult birds correct
small errors in their songs more rapidly and robustly than large errors, were
published in theProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
Sober's lab uses Bengalese finches as a model
for researching the mechanisms of how the brain learns to correct vocal
mistakes.
Just like humans, baby birds learn to vocalize
by listening to adults. Days after hatching, Bengalese finches start imitating
the sounds of adults. "At first, their song is extremely variable and
disorganized," Sober says. "It's baby talk, basically."
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