fronts, and a bright future, such analysis has yet to be achieved in any single
system.
This chapter attempts to place the neuroethology of acoustic communication in the context of its multiple levels of analysis. Rather than striving
to review the entire field, our approach is to focus on the neural and behavioral mechanisms that underlie what we consider to be a fundamental class
of behaviors present in most vocal communication systems, namely vocal
recognition. We have chosen specific examples to elaborate the points we
make, and to some extent these choices reflect our own backgrounds. The
choice of examples, however, is fundamentally immaterial because the
evolutionary backdrop of neuroethology provides a logical framework for
inferences drawn across phylogeny. In addition, although we are ultimately
interested in questions of auditory perception and cognition, we do not
incorporate the various literatures pertaining to the psychophysical basis
of hearing and synthetic sound perception. Again, rather than any basic
incompatibility, this reflects the practical constraints of the present format.
A mature neuroethology of acoustic communication will complement the
knowledge gained from research in other areas of comparative hearing and
audition, which are reviewed elsewhere (e.g., Dooling et al. 2000; Feng and
Ratnam 2000; see Simmons, Chapter 1).
1.1. The Neuroethological Approach
In one of his most important theoretical contributions to biology,
Tinbergen (1963) pointed out that any given behavior could be understood
in four primary ways. One can consider the evolutionary history of a behavior, its adaptive significance (i.e., its relation to survival or reproduction, past
and present), its developmental history within an organism, and its physiological bases. The first two of these are often referred to as “ultimate” causes
because they concern behavioral function on an evolutionary time scale.The
latter two are often referred to as “proximate” causes of behavior because
they are concerned, on a much finer time scale, with ontogenetic and physiological mechanisms within an organism. Although it is possible, and in fact
common, to study behavior at only one or the other level, Tinbergen’s
heuristic is not meant to imply independence across levels. On the contrary,
because evolutionary selection mechanisms operate on variation at the level
of the individual, the natural history of a behavior, and its adaptive significance, are likely to have profound effects on underlying physiological and
developmental processes. Likewise, the proximate mechanisms provide
physical constraints for the evolutionary trajectory of a particular behavioral trait. The bidirectional interactions between ultimate and proximate
mechanisms of behavior form the basis of neuroethology.
Neuroethology focuses on the mechanisms of ethologically analyzed
behaviors by bringing a top-down approach to questions of brain function.
By this, we mean that neuroethology takes a behavior whose adaptive
7. Neuroethology of Vocal Communication
325
system.
This chapter attempts to place the neuroethology of acoustic communication in the context of its multiple levels of analysis. Rather than striving
to review the entire field, our approach is to focus on the neural and behavioral mechanisms that underlie what we consider to be a fundamental class
of behaviors present in most vocal communication systems, namely vocal
recognition. We have chosen specific examples to elaborate the points we
make, and to some extent these choices reflect our own backgrounds. The
choice of examples, however, is fundamentally immaterial because the
evolutionary backdrop of neuroethology provides a logical framework for
inferences drawn across phylogeny. In addition, although we are ultimately
interested in questions of auditory perception and cognition, we do not
incorporate the various literatures pertaining to the psychophysical basis
of hearing and synthetic sound perception. Again, rather than any basic
incompatibility, this reflects the practical constraints of the present format.
A mature neuroethology of acoustic communication will complement the
knowledge gained from research in other areas of comparative hearing and
audition, which are reviewed elsewhere (e.g., Dooling et al. 2000; Feng and
Ratnam 2000; see Simmons, Chapter 1).
1.1. The Neuroethological Approach
In one of his most important theoretical contributions to biology,
Tinbergen (1963) pointed out that any given behavior could be understood
in four primary ways. One can consider the evolutionary history of a behavior, its adaptive significance (i.e., its relation to survival or reproduction, past
and present), its developmental history within an organism, and its physiological bases. The first two of these are often referred to as “ultimate” causes
because they concern behavioral function on an evolutionary time scale.The
latter two are often referred to as “proximate” causes of behavior because
they are concerned, on a much finer time scale, with ontogenetic and physiological mechanisms within an organism. Although it is possible, and in fact
common, to study behavior at only one or the other level, Tinbergen’s
heuristic is not meant to imply independence across levels. On the contrary,
because evolutionary selection mechanisms operate on variation at the level
of the individual, the natural history of a behavior, and its adaptive significance, are likely to have profound effects on underlying physiological and
developmental processes. Likewise, the proximate mechanisms provide
physical constraints for the evolutionary trajectory of a particular behavioral trait. The bidirectional interactions between ultimate and proximate
mechanisms of behavior form the basis of neuroethology.
Neuroethology focuses on the mechanisms of ethologically analyzed
behaviors by bringing a top-down approach to questions of brain function.
By this, we mean that neuroethology takes a behavior whose adaptive
7. Neuroethology of Vocal Communication
325