Cited by 139Neuroscience and Music PerceptionMultisensory perception and integrationAnimal Vocal Communication and Behavior

Owl’s behavior and neural representation predicted by Bayesian inference

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Fischer, Brian J, Peña, José Luis·2011·Nature Neuroscience

Abstract

The owl captures prey using sound localization. In the classical model, the owl infers sound direction from the position of greatest activity in a brain map of auditory space. However, this model fails to describe the actual behavior. Although owls accurately localize sources near the center of gaze, they systematically underestimate peripheral source directions. We found that this behavior is predicted by statistical inference, formulated as a Bayesian model that emphasizes central directions. We propose that there is a bias in the neural coding of auditory space, which, at the expense of inducing errors in the periphery, achieves high behavioral accuracy at the ethologically relevant range. We found that the owl's map of auditory space decoded by a population vector is consistent with the behavioral model. Thus, a probabilistic model describes both how the map of auditory space supports behavior and why this representation is optimal.

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  1. [4]Jay MF Sparks DL Localization of auditory and visual targets for the initiation of saccadic eye movements Comparative perception Basic mechanisms Berkley MA Stebbins WC 351 374 Wiley, New York New York, USA 1990

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Authors
Fischer, B. J., & Peña, J. L.
Affiliations
  • École Normale Supérieure - PSL (FR)
  • Albert Einstein College of Medicine (US)
Corresponding author
Fischer, Brian J
Venue
Nature Neuroscience
Published
2011-07-03
Volume
14
Issue
8
Pages
1061-1066
ISSN
  • 1097-6256 (ISSN-L)
  • 1546-1726
OpenAlex
W1981706467
Cited by
139
References
38
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2025: 13 · 2024: 14 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 12 · 2021: 10 · 2020: 6 · 2019: 7 · 2018: 8 · 2017: 13 · 2016: 9 · 2015: 9 · 2014: 12 · 2013: 13 · 2012: 5
FWCI
4.97
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Nature Neuroscience (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • HAL (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • Trinity's Access to Research Output (TARA) (Trinity College Dublin) (submittedVersion)
Funders
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (DC007690, R01DC007690)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neuroscience and Music Perception
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Multisensory perception and integration
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Developmental Biology › Animal Vocal Communication and Behavior
Keywords
Bayesian inference, auditory cortex, sound source direction estimation, prey capture
MeSH terms
Acoustic Stimulation, Animals, Bayes Theorem, Behavior, Animal, Brain, Brain Mapping, Models, Biological, Neurons, Sound Localization, Likelihood Functions, Strigiformes

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