The role of stimulus matching in the development of intersensory perception in bobwhite quail

Abstract

The present study examined the role of the relationship between the type and amount of prenatal and postnatal stimulus cues in directing the perceptual preferences of bobwhite quail chicks. Results reveal that chicks prefer postnatal stimulus cues that matched the particular type of prenatal stimulation they received as embryos over stimulus cues that match the amount of prenatal stimulus cues they received. Specifically, when chicks were tested with novel stimuli, or when the preference for matching types of stimulus cues was controlled for, chicks exposed to prenatal auditory/visual cues showed a preference for combined auditory/visual cues over auditory cues presented alone. These findings suggest that exposure to enhanced prenatal auditory/visual stimulation can accelerate chicks perceptual responsiveness. However, this effect can be masked depending upon the relationship between the specific type of auditory stimulus cues used during prenatal exposure and subsequent postnatal testing. Further results indicate that preference for familiar type of stimuli can account for why exposure to enhanced prenatal stimulation does not always appear to accelerate responsiveness to combined auditory/visual cues. Therefore, studies examining the effects of prenatal sensory manipulations on postnatal perceptual responsiveness must take into account the specific nature of the relationship between the type and amount of prenatal and postnatal stimulus cues employed in the experiment. In a more general sense, these results suggest that the study of early perceptual development requires the incorporation of complex, dynamic, and hierarchically based notions about the mechanisms associated with behavioral development.