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Zebra Finches Essay

Decent Essays

Explain how the mechanism described in Vallentin can be used as a proximate explanation for open-ended and close-ended learning in Zebra Finches. Uses quotes from the article to support your argument.
Learning is one important task that has a lot of complication in itself. Learning somehow starts with observation for most of us human as well as some animal species. In a recent study (Vallentin et al., Science, 2016), courtship learning process in zebra finches is examined through their development.
The conducted study suggests that in zebra finches, especially juvenile individuals, their forebrain HVC contain an important region accounting to learn courtship songs from various sources ( playback songs or imitate tutor). It is said that, “In the …show more content…

2016). The observation in HVC premotor neurons of these zebra finches leads to spiking activities that are caused by song playbacks in each individual. It suggests the instructive role for HVC premotor circuit in most juvenile zebra finches, which accounts to create the spiking activity within HVC by being exposed to song patterns. For juvenile individual, it is rather to be seen the progress of learning through reflected activities in spiking pattern within HVC premotor neurons. On the contrary, adult awaken zebra finches do not seem to express similar patterns of spiking activities. It is thought to be the decrease in strength of sensory afferents from auditory projection to HVC. However, the main reason for the awake adult individuals to not express learning spiking patterns is due to inhibition activities that suppress excitation within HVM premotor neuron regions. This hypothesis is tested and confirmed as in the study itself: “To test that hypothesis, we locally infused a GABAA antagonist (gabazine) and recorded HVC premotor neurons during tutor song exposure in adults. Once local inhibition was attenuated, HVC premotor neurons exhibited tutor song–evoked patterned spiking responses similar to

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