Operant Conditioning Task to Measure Song Preference in Zebra FinchesMelissa J. Coleman 1, David Saxon 1, Anastasia Robbins 1, Natalie Lillie 1, Nancy F. Day 2
1W.M. Keck Science Department, Claremont McKenna College – Pitzer College – Scripps College, 2Department of Psychology, Whitman College
We describe a technique to evaluate song preference in zebra finches. Females are placed in a two-chambered cage and song preference is measured by the number of times she triggers the playback of one song by landing on a perch within one chamber, compared with triggering a different song in the second chamber. Perch landings are counted using infrared sensors.
