Developmental Diversity in Communicative Capacities
{'Code': '08090200', 'Directorate': {'Abbreviation': 'BIO', 'LongName': 'Direct For Biological Sciences'}, 'Division': {'Abbreviation': 'IOS', 'LongName': 'Division Of Integrative Organismal Systems'}}
{'SignBlockName': 'Fred Stollnitz', 'PO_EMAI': None, 'PO_PHON': None}
The complexity of bird song and the role of learning in its                     development make it an important topic of inquiry for scientists                formulating comparative principles of learning and development.                                                                                                 Drs. West and King have been studying interrelationships among                  song structure, function, and development in brown-headed                       cowbirds.  Focusing on the social mediation of vocal development,               their important discoveries include (1) the important influence                 of social stimulation from non-singing females on vocal                         development of males, (2) visual signals used by males and                      females during song development that appear to communicate                      information about song potency, and (3) differences among                       subspecies in the development of vocal communication.                                                                                                           The brown-headed cowbird is thus an especially appropriate                      species for studying forms of learning not previously explored in               songbirds, particularly the integration of visual and vocal                     stimulation during development.  Drs. West and King have designed               an experimental protocol to measure the vocal capacities of                     males, the perceptual capacities of females, and the nature of                  social interactions between the sexes that link vocal perception                and production.  Different populations will be compared to                      investigate the extent to which developmental programs vary                     within the same species and subspecies.                                                                                                                         This project is exploring new areas of inquiry on the basis of                  proven methods and past findings that revealed previously unknown               aspects of adaptive modification of behavior.  The research                     therefore has the potential to introduce new concepts of vocal                  learning of special significance for our understanding of how                   animals, including humans, transmit complex modes of                            communication to the next generation.
[{'FirstName': 'Andrew', 'LastName': 'King', 'PI_MID_INIT': 'P', 'PI_SUFX_NAME': None, 'PI_FULL_NAME': 'Andrew P King', 'EmailAddress': 'apking@indiana.edu', 'NSF_ID': '000236572', 'StartDate': '03/01/1988', 'EndDate': None, 'RoleCode': 'Co-Principal Investigator'}, {'FirstName': 'Meredith', 'LastName': 'West', 'PI_MID_INIT': 'J', 'PI_SUFX_NAME': None, 'PI_FULL_NAME': 'Meredith J West', 'EmailAddress': 'mewest@indiana.edu', 'NSF_ID': '000085286', 'StartDate': '03/01/1988', 'EndDate': None, 'RoleCode': 'Principal Investigator'}]
{'Name': 'University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill', 'CityName': 'CHAPEL HILL', 'ZipCode': '275995023', 'PhoneNumber': '9199663411', 'StreetAddress': '104 AIRPORT DR STE 2200', 'StreetAddress2': None, 'CountryName': 'United States', 'StateName': 'North Carolina', 'StateCode': 'NC', 'CONGRESSDISTRICT': '04', 'CONGRESS_DISTRICT_ORG': 'NC04', 'ORG_UEI_NUM': 'D3LHU66KBLD5', 'ORG_LGL_BUS_NAME': 'UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHAPEL HILL', 'ORG_PRNT_UEI_NUM': 'N8DMK1K4C2K5'}
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{'Code': '1160', 'Text': 'IBN ANIMAL BEHAVIOR'}
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