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Absolute pitch in boreal chickadees and humans: exceptions that test a phylogenetic rule

dc.contributor.authorWeisman, Ronald G.
dc.contributor.authorBalkwill, Laura-Lee
dc.contributor.authorHoeschele, Marisa
dc.contributor.authorMoscicki, Michele
dc.contributor.authorBloomfield, Laurie L.
dc.contributor.authorSturdy, Christopher B.
dc.date.accessioned2020-10-14
dc.date.accessioned2022-05-31T01:15:45Z
dc.date.available2022-05-31T01:15:45Z
dc.date.issued2010
dc.description.abstractThis research examined generality of the phylogenetic rule that birds discriminate frequency ranges more accurately than mammals. Human absolute pitch chroma possessors accurately tracked transitions between frequency ranges. Independent tests showed that they used note naming (pitch chroma) to remap the tones into ranges; neither possessors nor nonpossessors were accurate at octave (pitch height) naming. Boreal chickadees discriminated frequency ranges less accurately than other birds; they tracked reward across several lower frequency ranges but failed at frequencies over 4000 Hz. The results revealed the error of describing species differences solely in terms of their discrimination of frequency ranges. Exceptions to the rule disappear when the rule is restated in terms of underlying mechanism: birds are superior to mammals in the ability to use absolute pitch height perception to discriminate pitches and ranges of pitches.
dc.description.urihttps://library.macewan.ca/full-record/edselp/S0023969010000159
dc.identifier.citationWeisman, R. G., Balkwill, L.-L., Hoeschele, M., Moscicki, M. K., Bloomfield, L. L., & Sturdy, C. B. (2010). Absolute pitch in boreal chickadees and humans: exceptions that test a phylogenetic rule. Learning and Motivation, 41(3), 156–173. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lmot.2010.04.002
dc.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.lmot.2010.04.002
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14078/1891
dc.languageEnglish
dc.language.isoen
dc.rightsAll Rights Reserved
dc.subjectpitch height
dc.subjectpitch chroma
dc.subjectsongbirds
dc.subjecthumans
dc.subjectmusic
dc.subjectfrequency range
dc.subjectboreal chickadees
dc.subjectabsolute pitch
dc.subjectanimals
dc.titleAbsolute pitch in boreal chickadees and humans: exceptions that test a phylogenetic ruleen
dc.typeArticle

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