10.5061/DRYAD.3GP17G0
Zipple, Matthew N.
Duke University
Caves, Eleanor M.
Duke University
Green, Patrick A.
Duke University
Peters, Susan
Duke University
Johnsen, Sonke
Duke University
Nowicki, Stephen
Duke University
Data from: Categorical colour perception occurs in both signalling and
non-signalling colour ranges in a songbird
Dryad
dataset
2019
colour perception
Vision
Taeniopygia guttata
discrimination
2019-05-08T18:47:46Z
2019-05-08T18:47:46Z
en
https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2019.0524
67391 bytes
1
CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
Although perception begins when a stimulus is transduced by a sensory
neuron, numerous perceptual mechanisms can modify sensory information as
it is processed by an animal’s nervous system. One such mechanism is
categorical perception, in which 1) continuously-varying stimuli are
labelled as belonging to a discrete number of categories and 2) there is
enhanced discrimination between stimuli from different categories as
compared to equally-different stimuli from within the same category. We
have shown previously that female zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata)
categorically perceive colours along an orange-red continuum that aligns
with the carotenoid-based colouration of male beaks, a trait that serves
as an assessment signal in female mate choice. Here we demonstrate that
categorical perception occurs along a blue-green continuum as well,
suggesting that categorical colour perception may be a general feature of
zebra finch vision. Although we identified two categories in both the
blue-green and the orange-red ranges, we also found that individuals could
better differentiate colours from within the same category in the
blue-green as compared to the orange-red range, indicative of less clear
categorization in the blue-green range. We discuss reasons why categorical
perception may vary across the visible spectrum, including the possibility
that such differences are linked to the behavioural or ecological function
of different colour ranges.
Data used in analysisResults of behavioral trials in both blue-green and
orange-red experiments.Dryad Upload.xlsx