Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letter
  • Published:

Early auditory experience modifies sound localization in barn owls

Abstract

The auditory system localizes sounds by comparing the timing and intensity of sounds arriving at the two ears, and associating specific binaural differences with directions of sounds in space. Thus, location for the auditory system, like stereoscopic depth for the visual system, is a percept created in the brain by a comparison of inputs from two receivers. We considered whether the neural mechanism underlying sound localization is determined entirely genetically, or if it is modified and regulated by auditory experience. The influence of experience on sound localization has been examined previously in various species, including man, with contradictory results1–9. For our study we used the barn owl (Tyto alba) as an experimental model because it localizes sounds with extreme accuracy10,11. By placing a plug in one ear, we disrupted the owl's binaural localization cues and induced large errors in sound localization. We report here that young owls adjusted to the altered cues and regained normal localization accuracy over a period of weeks. However, as the owls aged, their rate of adjustment slowed, and beyond 6–7 months of age, their capacity to adjust was lost or greatly reduced. This plasticity of the sound localization mechanism early in life thus enables the auditory system to establish precise correlations between binaural cues (which vary between individuals) and directions of sounds in space.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Young, P. T. J. exp. Psychol. 11, 399–429 (1928).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Held, R. Am. J. Psychol. 68, 526–548 (1955).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Bauer, R. W., Matuza, J. L. & Blackmer, R. F. J. acoust. Soc. Am. 40, 441–444 (1966).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  4. Willey, C. F., Inglis, E. & Pearce, C. H. J. exp. Psychol. 20, 114–130 (1937).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Viehweg, R. & Campbell, R. A. Trans. Am. otol. Soc. 48, 339–350 (1960).

    Google Scholar 

  6. Beggs, W. D. A. & Forman, D. L. Br. J. Audiol. 14, 41–48 (1980).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Humes, L. E., Allen, S. K. & Bess, F. H. Audiology 19, 508–518 (1980).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Clements, M. & Kelly, J. B. J. comp. Physiol. Psychol. 92, 34–44 (1978).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Judge, P. W. & Kelly, J. B. J. acoust. Soc. Am. Abstr. 69, 64 (1981).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  10. Knudsen, E. I., Blasdel, G. G. & Konishi, M. J. comp. Physiol. 133, 1–12 (1979).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Konishi, M. Am. Scient. 61, 414–424 (1973).

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  12. Mills, A. W. in Foundations of Modern Auditory Theory Vol. II (ed. Tobias, J. V.) 303–348 (Academic, New York, 1972).

    Google Scholar 

  13. Knudsen, E. I. & Konishi, M. J. comp. Physiol. 133, 13–21 (1979).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Moiseff, A. & Konishi, M. J. Neurosci. 1, 40–48 (1981).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Payne, R. S. J. exp. Biol. 54, 535–573 (1971).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Knudsen, E., Knudsen, P. & Esterly, S. Early auditory experience modifies sound localization in barn owls. Nature 295, 238–240 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1038/295238a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/295238a0

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing