Song preferences predict the quality of vocal learning in zebra finches

In songbirds, learning to sing is a highly social process that likely involves social reward. Here, we tested the hypothesis that during song learning, the reward value of hearing a particular song predicts the degree to which that song will ultimately be learned. We measured the early song preferences of young male zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) in an operant key-pressing assay; each of two keys was associated with a higher likelihood of playing the song of the father or that of another familiar adult (neighbor). To minimize the effects of exposure on learning, we implemented a novel reinforcement schedule that allowed us to detect preferences while balancing exposure to each song. On average, the juveniles significantly preferred the father's song early during song learning, before actual singing occurs in this species. When they reached adulthood, all the birds copied the father's song. The accuracy with which the father's song was imitated was positively correlated with the peak strength of the preference for the father's song during the sensitive period of song learning. Our results show that preference for the song of a chosen tutor, in this case the father, predicted vocal learning during development.

Automated summary

In this study, researchers examined the hypothesis that the reward value of hearing a particular song predicts the degree to which a song will be learned during the song learning process in songbirds. The results showed that young male zebra finches preferred their father's song early during song learning and eventually imitated it in adulthood. The strength of preference for the father's song during the sensitive period of song learning positively correlated with the accuracy of imitation. This suggests that preference for a chosen tutor's song can predict vocal learning during development.