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Our notions of learning may be undergoing some clarification from studies in birds.  Here are a couple derivative articles referencing some recent studies which challenge aspects of traditional learning theory.

A recent piece of research suggests that learning to string various vocal syllables together forms the basis for bird song and human talk. http://www.nature.com/news/babies-learn-to-babble-like-birds-learn-to-sing-1.13090 . It's slow but oft repeated practice that leads to perfection.

In the first study, analyzing the acquisition of song and speech, it was found that babies and baby song birds needed to practice making syllables.  Baby birds were trained to do ABC-ABC (with notes syllables) and then they had to learn ACB-ACB. After learning ABC-ABC which they learned by stringing together first as component parts, AB, BC and CA. They learned the second set of syllables by learning AC, then CB, and finally BA.  Each pair of sounds became an independent learning task.  There was no innate or emergent syllable sequencing pattern capability as predicted. Instead, each syllable had to be slowly learned.  The same pattern of learning was detected when baby babble was analyzed.  

The finches learned the first pair in ten days, the second in four days, and the third in two days.  Naturally occurring syllable variation in a different species of wild birds followed a similar pattern.  It took 18 days for wild baby birds to learn a similar naturally occurring song variations.  

Human infants gradually learn a string of syllables over 20 to 30 weeks.

A second paper suggests that other highly conserved parts of the vertebrate brain can master motor skills without physical practice, or physical practice without improvement.  Perfection in song does not need actual iterative error riddled practice to become perfect as is currently theorized.   http://www.nature.com/news/finches-learn-even-when-practice-isn-t-perfect-1.10675 .  Maybe "brains on" might not need actual "hands on" just the practiced thought of hands on.

This got me to reflect on stories about my father not speaking very much for the first few years of his life, and then bursting forth in complete sentences to the amazement of his parents and siblings.  Maybe he was silently practicing before he started uttering.  We'll likely never know, but it does help explain a curious bit of family lore.

C


The opinions and thoughts expressed here are my own and should in no way be construed or attributed to the Exploratorium or related organization, and do not represent an institutional position.
Charles Carlson
http://blogs.exploratorium.edu/whyintercept/
Twitter: @charliec53
email: [log in to unmask] 
Tel:   415-528-4319
Fax:  415-885-6011














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