Contextual determinants of auditory learning in bobwhite quail embryos and hatchlings.

This study examined the ability of bobwhite quail embryos and hatchlings to learn an individual bobwhite maternal call. Results revealed that embryos could learn an individual maternal call and remember that call for at least 24 hr following exposure. In contrast, hatchlings reared socially in groups of same-age chicks during postnatal exposure to a maternal call did not demonstrate a preference for that familiar call at 24 hr following exposure. However, individual auditory recognition was exhibited by hatchlings reared in social isolation, suggesting that the perceptual and social complexity of the postnatal situation can disrupt or interfere with early auditory learning. Additional support for this view was the finding that embryos exposed to unusually early visual stimulation during prenatal exposure to a maternal call also failed to prefer that familiar maternal call in subsequent choice tests. The idea that early auditory learning capacity is determined more by context and experience rather than the organism's specific age or stage of development is discussed.