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bioRxiv · 10.1101/2024.11.14.623689

Categorical and semantic perception of the meaning of call-types in zebra finches

Elie, J. E.·de Witasse-Thezy, A.·Thomas, L.·Malit, B.·Theunissen, F. E.
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Abstract

Vocal communication in social animals involves the production and perception of various calls that ethologists categorize into call-types, based on their acoustical structure and the behavioral context of production. Whether animals perceive these categories and associate distinct meanings to them remains unknown. The zebra finch, a gregarious songbird, uses approximately 11 call-types to communicate hunger, danger, social conflict, and establish social contact and bonding. Using auditory discrimination tasks, we show that the birds discriminate and categorize all the call-types in their vocal repertoire. In addition, systematic errors were more frequent between call-types used in similar behavioral contexts than could be expected from their acoustic similarity. Thus, zebra finches organize their calls into categories and create a mental representation of the meaning of these sounds.

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Elie, J. E., de Witasse-Thezy, A., Thomas, L., Malit, B., Theunissen, F. E.. 2024-11-15. Categorical and semantic perception of the meaning of call-types in zebra finches. https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.11.14.623689

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