Vocalization Rate Research Articles

Comparing the Underwater Soundscapes of Four U.S. National Parks and Marine Sanctuaries

Passive acoustic sensors provide a cost-effective tool for monitoring marine environments. Documenting acoustic conditions among habitats can provide insights into temporal changes in ecosystem composition and anthropogenic impacts. Agencies tasked with safeguarding marine protected areas, such as the U.S. National Park Service and U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, are increasingly interested in using long-term monitoring of underwater sounds as a means of tracking species diversity and ecosystem health. In this study, low-frequency passive acoustic recordings were collected fall 2014 - spring 2018, using standardized instrumentation, from four marine protected areas across geographically disparate regions of the U.S. Economic Exclusive Zone: Northwest Atlantic, Northeast Pacific, South Pacific, and Caribbean. Recordings were analyzed for differences in seasonal conditions and to identify acoustic metrics useful for resource assessment across all sites. In addition to comparing ambient sound levels, a species common to all four sites, the humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae), was used to compare biological sound detection. Ambient sound levels varied across the sites and were driven by differences in animal vocalization rates, anthropogenic activity, and weather. The highest sound levels (dBRMS (50 Hz-1.5 kHz) re 1 μPa) were recorded in the Northwest Atlantic in Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary (Stellwagen) during the boreal winter-spring resulting from bioacoustic activity, vessel traffic, and high wind speeds. The lowest sound levels (dBRMS (50 Hz-1.5 kHz) re 1 μPa) were recorded in the Northeast Pacific adjacent to a vessel-restricted area of Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve (Glacier Bay) during the boreal summer. Humpback whales were detected seasonally in the southern latitude sites, and throughout the deployment periods in the northern latitude sites. Temporal trends in band and spectrum sound levels in Glacier Bay and the National Park of American Samoa were primarily driven by biological sound sources, while trends in Stellwagen and the Buck Island Reef National Monument were primarily driven by anthropogenic sources. These results highlight the variability of ambient sound conditions in marine protected areas in U.S. waters, and the utility of long-term soundscape monitoring for condition assessment in support of resource management.

Neurological functioning and fear responses in low and normal birth weight piglets

Low birth weight (LBW) piglets are an increasingly common occurrence on commercial pig farms, due to selection for sow fecundity. In humans, LBW is a known risk factor for impaired brain development, resulting in impaired neurological functioning and increased vulnerability to stressors. In pigs, the pre-weaning effects of LBW on neurological and emotional functioning are less well known. To assess neurological development, 60 LBW and 60 normal birth weight (NBW) piglets were subjected to a neurological examination at day one after birth. To assess fear responses, another 60 LBW-NBW pairs were compared in a human approach test (HAT) at three weeks of age. In the neurological exam, neonatal LBW piglets were found to be less likely to display a withdrawal reflex in response to a painful stimulus (P = 0.022) and showed impaired coordination during locomotion on a balance beam (P = 0.030). These findings suggest LBW piglets’ increased neonatal mortality, often due to an impaired ability to compete over food or avoid crushing by the sow, could be influenced by a delayed neuromotor development. No effects of birth weight were found on behavioral responses in the HAT, such as latency to approach an unfamiliar human and rate of vocalizations. This suggests LBW and NBW piglets have similar levels of fear in this test. However, we also found indications that the fearfulness displayed by nursing piglets in the HAT is likely due to the temporary removal from the farrowing pen, instead of the presence of an unfamiliar human. Therefore, we can only conclude that LBW does not influence the behavioral response to this combination of stressors (i.e., social isolation from the sow and the piglets’ litter mates, whilst being in a novel environment), as measured by the HAT. Future studies are required to assess whether fear responses to less salient on-farm stressors are affected by birth weight.

High-frequency social communication in Sotalia guianensis.

This study aimed to investigate the use of high ultrasonic frequencies (above 40 kHz) in the Sotalia guianensis whistle repertoire. The whistles were classified as high-frequency (HF) whistles and very high-frequency (VHF) whistles. Seven parameters were extracted and a general linear mixed effects model was performed between the total number of whistles and VHF ones. Frequency parameters of HF and VHF whistles were the highest reported for this species so far. However, VHF whistles were rare and occurred in situations of high acoustic activity, which may represent a strategy used by dolphins to deal with higher levels of vocalization rates.

A comparison of response interruption and redirection and competing items on vocal stereotypy and appropriate vocalizations.

The current study compared the reductive effects of response interruption and redirection (RIRD) and competing items (including sound-producing and nonsound-producing toys) on the vocal stereotypy exhibited by two children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Sound-producing toys reduced vocal stereotypy relative to nonsound-producing toys and RIRD reduced stereotypy and increased rates of appropriate vocalizations to a greater extent than providing competing items. These findings replicate and extend previous literature suggesting that RIRD and sound-producing competing items are effective methods to treat vocal stereotypy.

Isolation calls in house mouse pups: Individual consistency across time and situations.

Isolation calls are emitted by the offspring of many mammalian species when separated from caregivers and siblings. Some studies indicate that isolation call rates constitute a consistent individual trait; others show that the young adjust their vocalization rate to the current situation. We studied this in the house mouse (Mus musculus domesticus) by exploring individual consistencies in pup isolation call rates and their potential modulation in different social situations. We carried out experiments including three treatments (repeated measurements) during consecutive days, all starting with an initial isolation of the pup, followed by (a) a reunion with mother and littermates and a second isolation hereafter, (b) the confrontation of isolated pup with cues of its own nest or (c) with cues of an unfamiliar adult male. The first treatment induced a significant increase, while the others induced significant decreases in pup isolation call rates. Pups showed consistent individual differences in initial call rates across the three days of testing (postnatal days 9-11), which were significantly associated with individual differences in call rates during the different treatments. We conclude that pup isolation calls represent a consistent, trait-like behaviour in the house mouse, which can also express flexibility in response to social cues.

Peripubertal GnRH and testosterone co-treatment leads to increased familiarity preferences in male sheep

Chronic gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRHa) treatment is effective for the medical suppression of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis in situations like central precocious puberty and gender dysphoria. However, its administration during the peripubertal period could influence normal brain development and function because GnRH receptors are expressed in brain regions that regulate emotions, cognition, motivation and memory. This study used an ovine model to determine whether chronic peripubertal GnRHa-treatment affected the developmental shift from preference of familiarity to novelty. Experimental groups included Controls and GnRHa-treated rams. To differentiate between effects of altered GnRH signaling and those associated with the loss of sex steroids, a group was also included that received testosterone replacement as well as GnRHa (GnRHa + T). Preference for a novel versus familiar object was assessed during 5-min social isolation at 8, 28 and 46 weeks of age. Approach behavior was measured as interactions with and time spent near the objects, whereas avoidance behavior was measured by time spent in the entrance zone and attempts to escape the arena via the entry point. Emotional reactivity was measured by the number of vocalizations, escape attempts and urinations. As Control and GnRHa-treated rams aged, their approach behaviors showed a shift from preference for familiarity (8 weeks) to novelty (46 weeks). In contrast, relative to the Controls the GnRHa + T rams exhibited more approach behaviors towards both objects, at 28 and 46 weeks of age and preferred familiarity at 46 weeks of age. Vocalisation rate was increased in GnRHa treated rams in late puberty (28 weeks) compared to both Control and GnRHa + T rams but this effect was not seen in young adulthood (46 weeks). These results suggest that the specific suppression of testosterone during a developmental window in late puberty may reduce emotional reactivity and hamper learning a flexible adjustment to environmental change. The results also suggest that disruption of either endogenous testosterone signalling or a synergistic action between GnRH and testosterone signalling, may delay maturation of cognitive processes (e.g. information processing) that affects the motivation of rams to approach and avoid objects.

Influence of environmental parameters on the use and spatiotemporal distribution of the vocalizations of bearded seals (Erignathus barbatus) in Kongsfjorden, Spitsbergen

In this study, we used long-term passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) to improve knowledge about the use and spatiotemporal distribution of Erignathus barbatus vocalisations. Two autonomous passive acoustic recorders were deployed between August 2014 and July 2015 in the inner and outer parts of the Kongsfjorden (Svalbard Islands, Norway) resulting in 1728 h of data recorded and 17,220 vocalisations detected. We investigated the vocalisation occurrence with respect to the presence of ice in the fjord (sea ice and glacier iceberg) and to the light cycle. The vocalisation rate varied significantly daily and monthly, and a correlation to the light and darkness turnover was shown during the period between the end of February and the first part of April. Bearded seal vocalisations, which started on 12 February and ceased on 22 June, intensified with the ice coverage peak but also continued during ice retreat, coinciding with the mating season. Additionally, a spatial displacement was highlighted from the inner to the external part of Kongsfjorden in the second part of May corresponding to the disappearance of sea ice within the fjord. This study highlights the ability of PAM to be a useful tool for both understanding abiotic and biotic processes in the marine environment, and ultimately the potential interactions between them.

Stable individual differences in vocalisation and motor activity during acute stress in the domestic cat

The behavioural assessment of individual animals in stressful situations should consider measures which are consistent across repeated testing, and therefore truly representative of an individual's behaviour. Here we report a study conducted on 40 neutered adult cats (Felis silvestris catus) of both sexes, originating from two animal shelters in Mexico and Hungary. We recorded the responses of the cats to repeated brief confinement trials that mimicked a common situation (confinement in a pet carrier). This test was repeated three times, leaving one week between trials, to assess short-term repeatability. Stable inter-individual differences in two behavioural measures, the number of separation calls and the duration of motor activity, were found, although the inter-individual differences in vocalisation were more pronounced than they were for motor activity. Additionally, the overall number of vocalisations emitted remained stable despite repeated testing, whereas motor activity tended to decrease week to week. There was a negative effect of age on vocalisation rate, and no effect of sex on either behaviour. No correlation between the two behavioural measures was found. We suggest that, in adult cats, vocalisation may be more reliable than motor activity as a behavioural measure of stress.

Infant-adult vocal interaction dynamics depend on infant vocal type, child-directedness of adult speech, and timeframe

This study explored the temporal contingencies between infant and adult vocalizations as a function of the type of infant vocalization, whether adult caregivers’ vocalizations were infant-directed or other-directed, and the timescale of analysis. We analyzed excerpts taken from day-long home audio recordings that were collected from nineteen 12- to 13-month-old American infants and their caregivers using the LENA system. Three 5-minute sections having high child vocalization rates were identified within each recording and coded by trained researchers. Infant and adult vocalizations were sequenced and defined as contingent if they occurred within 1 s, 2 s, or 5 s of each other. When using 1 s or 2 s definitions of temporal adjacency, infant vocalizations generally predicted subsequent infant-directed adult vocalizations. A reflexive vocalization (i.e. a cry or a laugh) was the strongest predictor. Likewise, within 1–2 s timeframes, infant-directed adult speech generally predicted infant vocalizations with reflexive vocalizations being particularly predictive. Infant vocalizations predicted fewer subsequent other-directed adult vocalizations and were less likely following other-directed adult vocalizations when considering up to 5 s lags. This suggests an understudied communicative role for infants of non-infant-directed adult speech. These results demonstrate the importance of timescale in studying infant-adult interactions, support the communicative significance of reflexive infant vocalizations and other-directed adult speech in addition to more commonly studied vocalization types, and highlight the challenges of determining direction(s) of influence when using only two-event sequences.

Toward a paradigm shift from deficit-based to proactive speech and language treatment: Randomized pilot trial of the Babble Boot Camp in infants with classic galactosemia

Background: Speech and language therapy is typically initiated reactively after a child shows delays. Infants with classic galactosemia (CG), a metabolic disease with a known high risk for both speech and language disorders, hold the keys towards evaluating whether preventive treatment is effective when the risks are known at birth. We present pilot data from a randomized parallel trial of an innovative proactive speech and language intervention program, the Babble Boot Camp (BBC). Method: Five children with CG, otherwise healthy, participated in the study from approximately 2 to 24 months of age. One of these was randomly selected as control receiving conventional management, which typically starts at age 2-3 years. A pediatric speech-language pathologist met weekly via telepractice with the parents in the treatment cohort. Parents implemented the prespeech, speech, and language stimulation and expansion activities according to the intervention protocol. The control child was still too young for conventional treatment. Primary outcome measures were speech sound production complexity in babble and speech and expressive vocabulary size. Secondary outcome measures were vocalization rates and developmental milestones in communication, motor, and cognition. The trial is ongoing. Results: All four treated children had higher speech sound skills in babble, three had higher speech sound skills in meaningful speech, two had higher expressive vocabularies, three had higher global developmental scores, and two had higher vocalization rates, compared to the control child with CG. Discussion: Given the high risk for speech and language delays in children with CG, finding on-schedule abilities in two or more of the treated children but not the untreated child is unexpected under random conditions. The trends toward beneficial effects of the BBC on speech sound production, expressive language, and communication milestones warrant appropriately powered larger clinical trials with full randomization. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03838016 (12 th February 2019).

Language Origins Viewed in Spontaneous and Interactive Vocal Rates of Human and Bonobo Infants.

From the first months of life, human infants produce “protophones,” speech-like, non-cry sounds, presumed absent, or only minimally present in other apes. But there have been no direct quantitative comparisons to support this presumption. In addition, by 2 months, human infants show sustained face-to-face interaction using protophones, a pattern thought also absent or very limited in other apes, but again, without quantitative comparison. Such comparison should provide evidence relevant to determining foundations of language, since substantially flexible vocalization, the inclination to explore vocalization, and the ability to interact socially by means of vocalization are foundations for language. Here we quantitatively compare data on vocalization rates in three captive bonobo (Pan paniscus) mother–infant pairs with various sources of data from our laboratories on human infant vocalization. Both humans and bonobos produced distress sounds (cries/screams) and laughter. The bonobo infants also produced sounds that were neither screams nor laughs and that showed acoustic similarities to the human protophones. These protophone-like sounds confirm that bonobo infants share with humans the capacity to produce vocalizations that appear foundational for language. Still, there were dramatic differences between the species in both quantity and function of the protophone and protophone-like sounds. The bonobo protophone-like sounds were far less frequent than the human protophones, and the human protophones were far less likely to be interpreted as complaints and more likely as vocal play. Moreover, we found extensive vocal interaction between human infants and mothers, but no vocal interaction in the bonobo mother–infant pairs—while bonobo mothers were physically responsive to their infants, we observed no case of a bonobo mother vocalization directed to her infant. Our cross-species comparison focuses on low- and moderate-arousal circumstances because we reason the roots of language entail vocalization not triggered by excitement, for example, during fighting or intense play. Language appears to be founded in flexible vocalization, used to regulate comfortable social interaction, to share variable affective states at various levels of arousal, and to explore vocalization itself.

North American red squirrels mitigate costs of territory defence through social plasticity

For territorial species, the ability to be behaviourally plastic in response to changes in their social environment may be beneficial by allowing individuals to mitigate conflict with conspecifics and reduce the costs of territoriality. Here we investigated whether North American red squirrels, Tamiasciurus hudsonicus, are able to minimize costs of territory defence by adjusting behaviour in response to the familiarity of neighbouring conspecifics. Since red squirrels living in familiar neighbourhoods face reduced intrusion risk, we predicted that increasing familiarity among territorial neighbours would allow squirrels to spend less time on territorial defence and more time in the nest. Longitudinal behavioural data (1995–2004) collected from the same squirrels across several different social environments indicated that red squirrels reduced rates of territorial vocalizations and increased nest use in response to increasing familiarity with neighbours. In contrast, cross-sectional data (2015–2016), which provided observations from each individual in a single social environment, did not provide evidence of this plasticity. Post hoc analyses revealed that evidence of social plasticity in this system is primarily due to within-individual changes in behaviour, which we were unable to estimate in the cross-sectional data. Our results demonstrate that red squirrels respond to changes in their social environment by adjusting their behaviour in a manner that reduces the costs of territoriality. However, our results also suggest that estimating plasticity by comparing behaviour among individuals (i.e. cross-sectional analyses) may not always be reliable. Our ability to detect these effects may therefore depend on having data with multiple observations from the same individuals across different social environments.

The effects of parental interaction on French-English bilingual infants’ vocalization and turn-taking rates

Prior studies suggest that parent-infant interactions play an important role on infant volubility, which is an important indication of language development. However, little is known about how speaker and language contexts affect infant volubility in bilingual infants. In the current study, we examined how the speaker context (Mother versus Father) and the language context (French versus English) might influence bilingual infants’ rate of vocalization and turn-taking. We analyzed naturalistic daylong recordings from English-French bilingual parent/infant dyads (n = 21). Preliminary analysis showed that mothers elicited more turn-taking in their 10-month-old infants than fathers did, but they did not elicit more vocalizations. Importantly, there was no effect of language on infant vocalization or turn-taking. We will alsoreport analyses that examine whether the dominant language in the bilingual child’s input has an effect on infant volubility that is independent of talker effects. These novel findings will inform our understanding of how parent-infant interactions shape the language development of infants being raised in bilingual families.

To assess and compare dexamethasone, lignocaine, and tramadol in reduction of propofol-induced vascular pain

Introduction: Propofol (2,6 di-isopropyl phenol) is a widely used agent for induction of anesthesia, although pain during its injection remains a concern for all anesthesiologists. Pain on intravascular injection of propofol is very incapacitating, and the trouble still remains and has never been eradicated. Materials and Methods: After taking approval from the Institutional Review Board, this randomized controlled study was conducted on patients undergoing elective surgeries under general anesthesia. Two hundred and ten adult patients of either sex aged 28–60 years weighing between 40 and 80 kg were included into three groups: Group L – received 60 mg of preservative-free lignocaine hydrochloride, Group D – received 12 mg of dexamethasone sodium phosphate, and Group T – received 100 mg of tramadol hydrochloride. Venous occlusion was done at the level of mid-fore-arm by inflating a noninvasive blood pressure cuff to a pressure of 60 mmHg. Study drug was then injected over 10 s by consultant who was blinded to the procedure. After 2 min of study drug, venous occlusion was released following which propofol 0.5 mg/kg was injected over 5 s. Spontaneous complaints of pain and behavioral signs which included facial grimace, arm withdrawal, vocal and verbal rating score were recorded by the second anesthesiologist who was unaware of the group allocation. Results: All three drugs reduced the intensity and severity of propofol-induced vascular pain. Incidence of pain in lignocaine, dexamethasone, and tramadol Groups were 15%, 32.8%, and 31.4%, respectively. There was significant pain relief (P = 0.045 and 0.042, respectively) when comparing Group L and D, Group L and T. Pain relief between Group D and T was statistically similar (P = 0.8). The incidence of hand withdrawal was significantly higher in the tramadol group (P Conclusion: Use of pretreatment with drugs is required to prevent propofol-induced vascular pain. Both tramadol and dexamethasone are equally efficacious in reducing propofol-induced vascular pain, though both are less effective when compared with lignocaine. Dexamethasone has an added advantage of preventing postoperative nausea and vomiting when compared with both lignocaine and tramadol.

Can access to an automated grooming brush and/or a mirror reduce stress of dairy cows kept in social isolation?

In dairy farming, social isolation of cattle is commonly practiced for husbandry procedures such as artificial insemination, claw trimming and at times, for provision of medical treatment. When isolated, cows express physiological and behavioural signs of stress, such as elevated heart rate, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical activity and increased vocalisation rate. The aim of this study was to examine whether enriching the environment of the isolation pen using both tactile (i.e. an automated grooming brush) and visual (i.e. a mirror) stimulation could alleviate stress induced in socially isolated dairy cows. Eighteen cows (9 lactating and 9 dry cows) were subjected to four isolation conditions of 30 min each; isolation in the presence of a mirror, in the presence of an automated grooming brush, in the presence of both a mirror and an automated grooming brush, and in a non-enriched environment (without brush and mirror) that served as a control condition. Physiological (heart rate and heart rate variability) and behavioural indicators of stress (locomotion, vocalizations, attempts to escape the isolation pen and ear position of the cows) were measured during three phases throughout the isolation period (0–5 min, 10–15 min, 20–25 min). Our results show that, first, the heart rate of cows kept in social isolation, as well as the time cows spent in locomotion and exploration of the pen, decreased throughout the isolation period, regardless of treatment. Second, the presence of an automated grooming brush, a mirror or both an automated grooming brush and mirror in the isolation pen was not associated with reduced indicators of stress (physiological and behavioural measures) compared to the non-enriched environment. The results of our study are not in agreement with the findings of previous studies showing reduced levels of stress among socially isolated heifers/cows kept in the presence of visual enrichment (i.e. mirror/picture of a conspecific), and illustrate the need to further explore practices to reduce stress during social isolation.

말의 속도와 높이가 성격지각에 미치는 영향: 정안학생과 시각장애학생을 대상으로

본 연구는 말의 속도와 높이가 사람의 성격 지각에 미치는 효과를 알아보기 위해 디지털 자료를 사용한 피험자간 실험을 설계하였다. 정안학생과 시각장애학생은 6명의 디지털화된 목소리를 듣고 Big Five 성격특질에 대한 7점 척도 상에서 평가하였다. 연구 1에서는 각 조건에 5명의 정안학생을 그리고 연구 2에서는 5명의 시각장애학생을 배정하였다. 그 결과, 속도가 외향성, 우호성, 성실성에 미치는 효과와 높이가 우호성에 미치는 효과는 두 연구에서 동일했지만, 높이가 성실성에 미치는 효과는 상반되었다. 또한, 연구 2에서만 속도와 높이가 정서안정성 그리고 높이가 지성에도 영향을 미쳤으며, 지성을 제외한 모든 성격차원에서 이 두 변인의 상호작용이 있었다. 이는 이 두 변인이 성격 지각에 미치는 영향이 정안인과 시각장애인에 따라 다를 수 있음을 시사한다.

Density estimation using ocean-bottom seismometers in Cascadia

The Cascadia Initiative placed a large number of ocean-bottom seismic sensors off the coast of the US Pacific Northwest. These sensors recorded pulsed sounds from fin whales, recorded in conditions that in many cases make it impossible to resolve the sounds from individual whales. The sounds from multiple whales, however, combine to make a distinct rise in spectral energy in the 15–30 Hz band. This received energy can be used to estimate the population density of fin whales in the vicinity of each sensor over the 4-year duration of the project. Difficulties addressed include the variable rate and intensity of fin whale vocalizations, acoustic properties of the seafloor, and differences between seismic and acoustic sensors. [Funding from ONR.]

Clinician vs. Machine: Estimating Vocalizations Rates in Young Children With Developmental Disorders.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the reliability of an automated language analysis system, the Language Environment Analysis (LENA), compared with a human transcriber to determine the rate of child vocalizations during recording sessions that were significantly shorter than recommended for the automated device. Participants were 6 nonverbal male children between the ages of 28 and 46 months. Two children had autism diagnoses, 2 had Down syndrome, 1 had a chromosomal deletion, and 1 had developmental delay. Participants were recorded by the LENA digital language processor during 14 play-based interactions with a responsive adult. Rate of child vocalizations during each of the 84 recordings was determined by both a human transcriber and the LENA software. A statistically significant difference between the 2 methods was observed for 4 of the 6 participants. Effect sizes were moderate to large. Variation in syllable structure did not explain the difference between the 2 methods. Vocalization rates from the 2 methods were highly correlated for 5 of the 6 participants. Estimates of vocalization rates from nonverbal children produced by the LENA system differed from human transcription during sessions that were substantially shorter than the recommended recording length. These results confirm the recommendation of the LENA Foundation to record sessions of at least 1 hr.

Noradrenergic receptor modulation influences the acoustic parameters of pro-social rat ultrasonic vocalizations.

Rats produce high rates of ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) in social situations; these vocalizations are influenced by multiple neurotransmitter systems. Norepinephrine (NE) plays a significant role in vocalization biology; however, the contribution of NE to normal, prosocial vocal control has not been well established in the rat. To address this, we used NE adrenoceptor agonists (Cirazoline, Clonidine) and antagonists (Prozasin, Atipamezole, Propranolol) to quantify the contribution of specific alpha-1, alpha-2, and beta NE receptors to USV parameters in male Long Evans rats during seminaturalistic calling. We found that multiple USV acoustic variables (intensity, bandwidth, duration, peak frequency, and call profile) are modified by alterations in NE signaling. Very generally, agents that increased NE neurotransmission (Atipamezole) or activated alpha-1 receptors (Cirazoline), led to an increase in intensity and duration, respectively. Agents that decreased NE neurotransmission (Clonidine) or blocked alpha-1 receptors (Prazosin) reduced call rate, intensity, and bandwidth. However, the beta-receptor antagonist, Propranolol, was associated with increased call rate, duration, and intensity. Limb motor behaviors were largely unaffected by any drug, with the exception of Clonidine. Higher doses of Clonidine significantly reduced gross motor, grooming, and feeding behavior. These results confirm the involvement of NE transmission in vocal control in the rat, and suggest that this USV model is useful for studying the neuropharmacology of behavioral measures that may have implications for disease states, such as Parkinson's disease. (PsycINFO Database Record

Power Talk: Communication Styles, Vocalization Rates and Dominance.

Humans are social beings that form hierarchies to gain and maintain resources. Dominant positions are often obtained through resource control strategies, displayed through language. Language can be examined in a number of ways including number of vocalizations and pragmatic skills. The benefit of pragmatic skills, in relationship to popularity (group dominance), can be explained by virtue signalling and the sociometer theory. The current study examined the relationship of individuals in a novel group setting. Results revealed that popularity within the group was related to the number of vocalizations and increased pragmatic skills. Taken together, it appears that vocalizations and pragmatic skills may help individuals signal their position within the hierarchy, while monitoring the social communications of others.