Defining the rhythmicity of memory-enhancing acoustic stimuli in the young domestic chick (Gallus gallus).

Abstract

Research has demonstrated that exposure to a rhythmic auditory stimulus can promote retention of a simple memory task in an avian species. In the current study, day-old domestic chicks (Gallus gallus) were trained on a weakly reinforced discriminative avoidance task for which retention is typically lost 30 min posttraining. Exposure to rhythmic stimuli 5 min posttraining prevented memory loss, but only when sequences were highly metrical and contained sufficient repetition. These data provide further support for the claim that rhythmicity is a key feature of memory-enhancing auditory stimuli.