Vocal Development Research Articles

Neurogenomic insights into the behavioral and vocal development of the zebra finch.

The zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata) is a socially monogamous and colonial opportunistic breeder with pronounced sexual differences in singing and plumage coloration. Its natural history has led to it becoming a model species for research into sex differences in vocal communication, as well as behavioral, neural and genomic studies of imitative auditory learning. As scientists tap into the genetic and behavioral diversity of both wild and captive lineages, the zebra finch will continue to inform research into culture, learning, and social bonding, as well as adaptability to a changing climate.

Phylogeny and mechanisms of shared hierarchical patterns in birdsong

Organizational patterns can be shared across biological systems, and revealing the factors shaping common patterns can provide insight into fundamental biological mechanisms. The behavioral pattern that elements with more constituents tend to consist of shorter constituents (Menzerath's law [ML]) was described first in speech and language (e.g., words with more syllables consist of shorter syllables) and subsequently in music and animal communication. Menzerath's law is hypothesized to reflect efficiency in information transfer, but biases and constraints in motor production can also lead to this pattern. We investigated the evolutionary breadth of ML and the contribution of production mechanisms to ML in the songs of 15 songbird species. Negative relationships between the number and duration of constituents (e.g., syllables in phrases) were observed in all 15 species. However, negative relationships were also observed in null models in which constituents were randomly allocated into observed element durations, and the observed negative relationship for numerous species did not differ from the null model; consequently, ML in these species could simply reflect production constraints and not communicative efficiency. By contrast, ML was significantly different from the null model for more than half the cases, suggesting additional organizational rules are imposed onto birdsongs. Production mechanisms are also underscored by the finding that canaries and zebra finches reared without auditory experiences that guide vocal development produced songs with nearly identical ML patterning as typically reared birds. These analyses highlight the breadth with which production mechanisms contribute to this prevalent organizational pattern in behavior.

Traffic noise disrupts vocal development and suppresses immune function.

Noise pollution has been linked to learning and language deficits in children, but the causal mechanisms connecting noise to cognitive deficiencies remain unclear because experimental models are lacking. Here, we investigated the effects of noise on birdsong learning, the primary animal model for vocal learning and speech development in humans. We found that traffic noise exposure retarded vocal development and led to learning inaccuracies. In addition, noise suppressed immune function during the sensitive learning period, indicating that it is a potent stressor for birds, which is likely to compromise their cognitive functions. Our results provide important insights into the consequences of noise pollution and pave the way for future studies using birdsong as an experimental model for the investigation of noise-induced learning impairments.

Expression of FoxP2 in the basal ganglia regulates vocal motor sequences in the adult songbird

Disruption of the transcription factor FoxP2, which is enriched in the basal ganglia, impairs vocal development in humans and songbirds. The basal ganglia are important for the selection and sequencing of motor actions, but the circuit mechanisms governing accurate sequencing of learned vocalizations are unknown. Here, we show that expression of FoxP2 in the basal ganglia is vital for the fluent initiation and termination of birdsong, as well as the maintenance of song syllable sequencing in adulthood. Knockdown of FoxP2 imbalances dopamine receptor expression across striatal direct-like and indirect-like pathways, suggesting a role of dopaminergic signaling in regulating vocal motor sequencing. Confirming this prediction, we show that phasic dopamine activation, and not inhibition, during singing drives repetition of song syllables, thus also impairing fluent initiation and termination of birdsong. These findings demonstrate discrete circuit origins for the dysfluent repetition of vocal elements in songbirds, with implications for speech disorders.

Developmental Functional Modules in Infant Vocalizations.

Purpose Developmental functional modules (DFMs) are biological modules that are defined by their structural (morphological), functional, or developmental elements, and, in some cases, all three of these. This review article considers the hypothesis that vocal development in the first year of life can be understood in large part with respect to DFMs that characterize the speech production system. Method Literature is reviewed on relevant embryology, orofacial reflexes, craniofacial muscle properties, stages of vocal development, and related topics to identity candidates for DFMs. Results The following DFMs are identified and described: laryngeal, pharyngo-laryngeal, mandibular, velopharyngeal, labial complex, and lingual complex. These DFMs and their submodules, considered along with phenomena such as rhythmic movements, account for several well-documented features of vocal development in the first year of life. The proposed DFMs, rooted in embryologic, histologic, and kinematic properties, serve as low-dimensional control variables for the developing vocal tract. Each DFM is semi-autonomous but interacts with other DFMs to produce patterns of vocal behavior. Discussion Considered in relation to contemporary profiles and models of vocal development in the first year of life, DFMs have interpretive and explanatory value. DFMs complement other approaches in the study of infant vocalizations and are grounded in biology.

Cooperative care and the evolution of the prelinguistic vocal learning.

The development of the earliest vocalizations of human infants is influenced by social feedback from caregivers. As these vocalizations change, they increasingly elicit such feedback. This pattern of development is in stark contrast to that of our close phylogenetic relatives, Old World monkeys and apes, who produce mature-sounding vocalizations at birth. We put forth a scenario to account for this difference: Humans have a cooperative breeding strategy, which pressures infants to compete for the attention from caregivers. Humans use this strategy because large brained human infants are energetically costly and born altricial. An altricial brain accommodates vocal learning. To test this hypothetical scenario, we present findings from New World marmoset monkeys indicating that, through convergent evolution, this species adopted a largely identical developmental system-one that includes vocal learning and cooperative breeding.

Vocal development in a large-scale crosslinguistic corpus.

This study evaluates whether early vocalizations develop in similar ways in children across diverse cultural contexts. We analyze data from daylong audio recordings of 49 children (1-36months) from five different language/cultural backgrounds. Citizen scientists annotated these recordings to determine if child vocalizations contained canonical transitions or not (e.g., "ba" vs. "ee"). Results revealed that the proportion of clips reported to contain canonical transitions increased with age. Furthermore, this proportion exceeded 0.15 by around 7months, replicating and extending previous findings on canonical vocalization development but using data from the natural environments of a culturally and linguistically diverse sample. This work explores how crowdsourcing can be used to annotate corpora, helping establish developmental milestones relevant to multiple languages and cultures. Lower inter-annotator reliability on the crowdsourcing platform, relative to more traditional in-lab expert annotators, means that a larger number of unique annotators and/or annotations are required, and that crowdsourcing may not be a suitable method for more fine-grained annotation decisions. Audio clips used for this project are compiled into a large-scale infant vocalization corpus that is available for other researchers to use in future work.

RETRACTED ARTICLE: Video teaching of piano playing and singing based on computer artificial intelligence system and virtual image processing

As an important part of vocal guidance, piano performance and singing guidance are important ways to cultivate students' interest in piano and improve their improvisational level. With the development of education, especially the rapid popularization and promotion of big data and other information technologies, traditional teacher-led performance and singing teaching models have gradually met the learning needs of students and affected their learning effects. Therefore, it is indispensable to reform and innovate the guiding philosophy and methods of performance and songs. Therefore, how to introduce big data technology into piano performance and singing guidance is worthy of in-depth discussion. Online education has obvious advantages in auditory training. Whether it is impromptu feedback through online classrooms, or completion of homework through audio, it can have the effect of "grinding ears". On the one hand, the clear audio allows students to think aurally in a good auditory environment; on the other hand, through online interactive answering, teachers can accurately understand the development of the auditory perception of the entire class, so as to adjust the training content immediately. The subject studied the problems existing in the teaching of traditional piano playing and singing, and proposed different solutions for the computer artificial intelligence system and virtual image processing technology, so that image classification and video teaching have a better recognition effect, and promote vocal music teaching forward development of.

Syringeal vocal folds do not have a voice in zebra finch vocal development

Vocal behavior can be dramatically changed by both neural circuit development and postnatal maturation of the body. During song learning in songbirds, both the song system and syringeal muscles are functionally changing, but it is unknown if maturation of sound generators within the syrinx contributes to vocal development. Here we densely sample the respiratory pressure control space of the zebra finch syrinx in vitro. We show that the syrinx produces sound very efficiently and that key acoustic parameters, minimal fundamental frequency, entropy and source level, do not change over development in both sexes. Thus, our data suggest that the observed acoustic changes in vocal development must be attributed to changes in the motor control pathway, from song system circuitry to muscle force, and not by material property changes in the avian analog of the vocal folds. We propose that in songbirds, muscle use and training driven by the sexually dimorphic song system are the crucial drivers that lead to sexual dimorphism of the syringeal skeleton and musculature. The size and properties of the instrument are thus not changing, while its player is.

Born to sing! Song development in a singing primate.

In animal vocal communication, the development of adult-like vocalization is fundamental to interact appropriately with conspecifics. However, the factors that guide ontogenetic changes in the acoustic features remain poorly understood. In contrast with a historical view of nonhuman primate vocal production as substantially innate, recent research suggests that inheritance and physiological modification can only explain some of the developmental changes in call structure during growth. A particular case of acoustic communication is the indris’ singing behavior, a peculiar case among Strepsirrhine primates. Thanks to a decade of intense data collection, this work provides the first long-term quantitative analysis on song development in a singing primate. To understand the ontogeny of such a complex vocal output, we investigated juvenile and sub-adult indris’ vocal behavior, and we found that young individuals started participating in the chorus years earlier than previously reported. Our results indicated that spectro-temporal song parameters underwent essential changes during growth. In particular, the age and sex of the emitter influenced the indris’ vocal activity. We found that frequency parameters showed consistent changes across the sexes, but the temporal features showed different developmental trajectories for males and females. Given the low level of morphological sexual dimorphism and the marked differences in vocal behavior, we hypothesize that factors like social influences and auditory feedback may affect songs’ features, resulting in high vocal flexibility in juvenile indris. This trait may be pivotal in a species that engages in choruses with rapid vocal turn-taking.

Stability of Vocal Variables Measured During the Early Communication Indicator for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder.

The Early Communication Indicator (ECI) was designed to measure expressive communication progress in young children. We evaluated using the 6-min ECI procedure for a new purpose-a sampling context for stable measures of vocal development of young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We evaluated how many ECI sessions were required to adequately stabilize estimates of volubility, communicative use, and phonological complexity of vocalizations at two periods (average of 10 months apart). Participants included 83 young children with ASD (M age = 23.33 months). At study initiation, two phonological complexity variables required two sessions; other variables required three. At study endpoint, all variables required fewer sessions. Findings support the feasibility and stability of using the ECI for the new purpose.

Cross-linguistic comparison of utterance shapes in Korean- and English-learning children: An ambient language effect

This study compared vocal development in Korean- and English-learning infants and examined ambient-language effects focusing on predominant utterance shapes. Vocalization samples were obtained from 14 Korean-learning children and 14 English-learning children, who ranged in age from 9 to 21 months, in monolingual environments using day-long audio recordings. The analyzers, who were blind to participants’ demographic information, identified utterance shapes to determine functional vocal repertoires through naturalistic listening simulating the caregiver’s natural mode of listening. The results showed no cross-linguistic differences in the amount of vocal output or the proportion of canonical syllables. However, the infants from the two language backgrounds showed differences regarding the predominant canonical utterance shapes. The percentage of VCV utterances in Korean-learning children was higher than in English-learning children while CV syllables predominated in the English-learning children. We speculate that the difference between the predominant utterance shapes of Korean- and English-learning children could be associated with differences in early lexical items typically acquired in the two language groups.

Three cultural contrasts in search of specificities and commonalities: Acculturation in Japanese, South American, and South Korean immigrant families

Three cultural comparisons address specificities and commonalities in the acculturation of infant behaviors and maternal parenting practices. Immigrant Japanese, Korean, and South American families were compared to nonmigrant families in their respective cultures of origin (Japan, South Korea, and South America) and their single common culture of destination (United States). Altogether, 13 infant behaviors and 15 maternal parenting practices in 408 5½-month-old infants and their mothers were examined. About half of infants' and half of mothers' behaviors showed specificity and half commonality in group-level acculturation comparisons. Immigrant infants differed from infants in their cultures of origin and destination with respect to emotional expression, vocalization, and physical development. Immigrant mothers differed from mothers in their cultures of origin and destination in speech to their infants, permitted sounds in the environment, and encouraging infants' physical development. Implications of specificity and commonality in acculturation of infant and mother behaviors across groups are discussed.

Housing of A350V IQSEC2 pups at 37 °C ambient temperature prevents seizures and permits the development of social vocalizations in adulthood

Objectives Mutations in the human IQSEC2 gene are associated with drug-resistant epilepsy and severe behavioral dysfunction. We have focused on understanding one human IQSEC2 missense mutation (A350V) for which we have created a corresponding A350V IQSEC2 mouse model by CRISPR which demonstrates seizures when the mice are 15–20 days old and impaired social vocalizations in adulthood. We observed that a child with the A350V mutation stops having seizures when experiencing a fever of greater than 38 °C. In this study, we first sought to determine if we could recapitulate this phenomenon in A350V 15–20 day old mice using a previously established protocol to raise body temperature to 39 °C achieved by housing the mice at 37 °C. We then sought to determine if mice in whom seizure activity had been prevented as pups would develop social vocalization activity in adulthood. Methods 15–20 day old A350V male mice were housed either at 37 °C or 22 °C. Ultrasonic vocalizations of these mice were assessed at 8–10 weeks in response to a female stimulus. Results Housing of 15–20 day old A350V mice at 37 °C resulted in a reduction in lethal seizures to 2% (1/41) compared to 45% (48/108) in mice housed at 22 °C, p = 0.0001. Adult A350V mice who had been housed at 37 °C as pups displayed a significant improvement in the production of social vocalizations. Conclusion Raising the body temperature by raising the ambient temperature might provide a means to reduce seizures associated with the A350V IQSEC2 mutation and thereby allow for an improved neurodevelopmental trajectory.

Vocalization Development in Geoffroy's bat, Myotis emarginatus (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae).

Postnatal development of vocalization has been studied in a small number of bats, not including the Geoffroy's bat, Myotis emarginatus. In the present study, we investigated vocalization development at a maternity roost of M. emarginatus in Kerend Cave in western Iran by sequential measurement of acoustic parameters in known-age neonates using mark-recapture sampling. Newborn pups of M. emarginatus produced both short and isolation calls. Duration of short calls of 1-day-old pups was on average 7.56 ± 0.05 ms and decreased during postnatal development to reach an adult-like duration of 2.78 ± 0.13 ms in the third week. Myotis emarginatus emitted various types of isolation calls, including classic, UP-tail-FM and CF-tail during postnatal growth. As bat pups grew, both short and isolation calls changed in their spectro-temporal structure. Discriminant function analyses showed that each bat pup has a vocal signature that facilitates mother-infant communication. The current study reveals that M. emarginatus pups are highly vocal at birth, but gradually elaborate their sounds with an increase in peak, start and end frequencies as well as with a decrease in call duration throughout the postnatal growth period.

ПЕРІОДИЗАЦІЯ РОЗВИТКУ ВОКАЛЬНОЇ КУЛЬТУРИ ФАХІВЦІВ МУЗИЧНОГО МИСТЕЦТВА В ЄВРОПІ

The article shows the periods of vocal development culture of music specialists in Europe. The article considered preconditions for the development of vocal culture of music art specialists in Europe. The table «Evolution of the development of vocal culture of music professionals in Europe during different stages» is presented in the article. It shows a brief description of the epoch and period. The article gave in more detail the features of formation of vocal culture of musical art specialists are determined, and also their characteristic in the European countries, such as: Italy, Germany, Great Britain, France, Austria, Poland. The emphasis of vocal culture, one of the most important components of the professional culture of music artists, is due to the specifics of his vocal and pedagogical activities, which is aimed at forming a personality capable of reproducing and enriching the culture of society in the future. The culture of future specialists in the art of music has undergone certain periods in the process of socio-cultural development. It, as a phenomenon of pedagogical practice, has always existed, but had different social and professional purposes depending on the influence of various factors: the political situation; moral relations that developed in society; dominant religion; type of education. Of course, knowledge of the origins, knowledge of the periods of origin and development of musical art, which took place over the centuries, is important for understanding both the current challenges of vocal culture and to determine its further development. It should be noted that the curricula of European countries provide broad training of music professionals, expanding the sector of music specialties, including training: choir directors, specialists in individual vocal technique, vocal ensembles, choral singing, dominated by the practical orientation of professional education. Thus, the analysis of literary scientific sources on the formation of vocal culture of music artists shows that each stage was a unique and significant contribution to the formation of such culture in Europe. It should be noted that the curricula of European countries provide broad training of music professionals, expanding the sector of music specialties, including training: choir directors, specialists in individual vocal technique, vocal ensembles, choral singing, dominated by the practical orientation of professional education. Thus, the analysis of literary scientific sources on the formation of vocal culture of music artists shows that each stage was a unique and significant contribution to the formation of such culture in Europe.

Growth, morphology and haematology of Double-spurred Francolin (Francolinus bicalcaratus): A prelude to its captive breeding and domestication

It has been documented that broadening the genetic diversity of the livestock population through captive breeding and eventual domestication of game animals could be one of the palliatives for reducing animal protein malnutrition in sub-Saharan Africa. One of the game birds with wide culinary appeal in West Africa that can easily be captive-bred is the Doublespurred Francolin (Francolinus bicalcaratus). This study was therefore conducted to determine the growth, morphology and haematological indices of Double-spurred Francolin reared under intensive management condition. Eighteen eggs of Double-spurred Francolin collected from the wild were artificially incubated and hatched into chicks. These chicks were subsequently reared intensively for 24 weeks while taking data on their feed intake, growth, plumage development, vocalization and haematological indices. The growth curve of F. bicalcaratus was modelled from which the peri-pubertal period of this bird was determined. Also the number of rectrices and remiges from day old to the 24th week of age were determined while the first adult vocalization was observed in the fifth month. Francolinus bicalcaratus displays sexual dimorphism in terms of body size, vocalization and tarsal spur number and development. Double-spurred Francolin has growth and morphometric parameters that are similar to its other phasianid relatives and can therefore fit into the food security equation geared towards solving the perennial animal protein malnutrition problem especially in the West African sub-region. It is concluded that the bird is a good candidate for domestication and conservation, a two-in-one effort that could re-write its current global signature as an endangered bird species of West Africa.

Русская вокальная школа: традиции и перспективы

Russian vocal school as a significant part of the Russian and unique phenomenon of world musical culture, developed and developed as an original direction of vocal professional performance and vocal pedagogy. The evolution of vocal performance and vocal pedagogy, the formation and development of the Russian vocal school and its traditions have shown that vocal pedagogy develops together with vocal performance, analyzing and generalizing experience, creates and tests its methods, develops singing attitudes and develops pedagogical technologies that contribute to the education of singing culture. Russian singing traditions and vocal education, their scientific research and reproduction, identification of prospects for the development of the modern Russian vocal school, identification of ways to continue existing traditions, development and scientific justification of new vocal and pedagogical technologies are relevant today. The perspective of the development of the Russian vocal school is seen in the reproduction of traditions, scientific justification of its pedagogical foundations, in the formation of performers who have a high level of motivation for singing activities and physiological potential for mastering various phonation techniques, able to learn new things in the art of singing.

DEVELOPMENT OF VOCAL TRADITIONS IN CHINA AND UKRAINE: HISTORICAL CONTEXT

The article reveals the features of vocal traditions development in China and Ukraine in the historical context. The stages of vocal traditions development in China and Ukraine are outlined. The essential characteristics of vocal traditions at each stage of development in the studied countries are defined. The comparative analysis of both vocal traditions enabled defining the main differences and the common features in the development of the studied phenomenon. The differences lie in the fact that Ukrainian vocal tradition has been constantly improving, while Chinese – has experienced periods of decline; in China the basis of vocal training is philosophical, while in Ukraine – spiritual. The common features include implementation of foreign experience in the content of vocal education and training of vocalists in various fields – academic and folk, as well as the spread of pop singing.

Music therapist collaboration with teaching assistants for facilitating verbal and vocal development in young children with special needs: A mixed methods study

Music Therapists increasingly work collaboratively alongside other professionals and families. This article presents research into transdisciplinary work with teaching assistants in a school. A mixed methods investigation was carried out to evaluate the development of verbal and vocal skills in young children who received both individual music therapy and additional music sessions carried out by teaching assistants. Qualitative data were gathered to support quantitative video analysis results. The Music Therapist organised music sessions for the teaching assistants to carry out independently, to assess whether this enhanced the children’s verbal development. Statistical analysis of vocal scores from video material utilising bootstrapping techniques indicated that there was a statistically significant difference pre- and post-intervention for the children who had additional teaching assistant music sessions. This indicated that the collaborative approach was effective in enhancing verbal skills. The qualitative evidence also supported this theory. Due to the small number of participants, these results cannot be generalised to other situations and larger scale research could be carried out to demonstrate conclusive results. This study shows that Music Therapists and teaching assistants in schools can work collaboratively and this may potentially enhance the progress children make, with reinforcement of verbal development strategies in the class context.