Kelly J B, Potash M
J Comp Psychol. 1986 Mar;100(1):37-45.
Three experiments were conducted to determine the ability of infant gerbils to approach an auditory stimulus. In the first experiment, gerbil pups, 16-23 days of age, were tested in a circular apparatus with a central start area and a movable sound source located at one of eight positions around the perimeter. Stimuli included high- and low-intensity presentations of a tape-recorded gerbil social call, a broad-band white noise stimulus, and a no-stimulus control condition. The subjects showed a strong tendency to approach the low-intensity social call and a less pronounced tendency to approach the white noise. In the second experiment, gerbil pups were tested in the same apparatus with or without ear blocks to determine the role of binaural cues in directional approach responding. The tendency to approach a low-intensity vocalization was disrupted by obstruction of one ear but not by blocking both ears. Thus, binaural balance was shown to be important for early sound localization. In the third experiment, the tendency to approach a social call was compared at different ages, 12-15, 16-19, 20-23, and 24-27 days after birth. Approach responses were first seen at 16-19 days. The responses continued during the 20-23-day period but began to wane at 24-27 days of age.
进行了三项实验来确定幼年沙鼠接近听觉刺激的能力。在第一个实验中，对16至23日龄的沙鼠幼崽在一个圆形装置中进行测试，该装置有一个中央起始区域和一个位于周边八个位置之一的可移动声源。刺激包括高强度和低强度的沙鼠社交叫声录音、宽带白噪声刺激以及无刺激对照条件。实验对象表现出强烈的接近低强度社交叫声的倾向，而接近白噪声的倾向则不太明显。在第二个实验中，对沙鼠幼崽在相同装置中进行测试，测试时有的佩戴耳塞，有的不佩戴，以确定双耳线索在定向接近反应中的作用。接近低强度发声的倾向会因一只耳朵被阻塞而受到干扰，但两只耳朵都被阻塞时则不会。因此，双耳平衡被证明对早期声音定位很重要。在第三个实验中，比较了出生后12至15天、16至19天、20至23天和24至27天不同年龄段的沙鼠接近社交叫声的倾向。接近反应在16至19天首次出现。这种反应在20至23天期间持续存在，但在24至27日龄时开始减弱。
