Prenatal visual experience influences the development of turning bias in bobwhite quail chicks (Colinus virginianus)

Dev Psychobiol. 1998 May;32(4):327-38.

Abstract

This study examined the effects of prenatal sensory experience on the development of turning bias in a precocial avian species (bobwhite quail). Control tests with naive bobwhite quail chicks revealed a left-side turning bias in 85% of subjects. Such large population biases are considered unusual in nonhuman species. Experiments 1, 2, and 3 demonstrated that prenatal visual experience is a significant contributor to this population level left-side turning bias in bobwhite quail chicks. In contrast, prenatal auditory experience did not appear to significantly influence the development of postnatal turning bias. The findings of this study are discussed in terms of an epigenetic theory for the development of hemispheric specialization and behavioral asymmetry.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Acoustic Stimulation
  • Animals
  • Chi-Square Distribution
  • Colinus / growth & development*
  • Female
  • Functional Laterality / physiology*
  • Locomotion / physiology*
  • Maze Learning
  • Orientation / physiology*
  • Photic Stimulation*
  • Pregnancy
  • Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects*
  • Vocalization, Animal