Order-dependent timing of unimodal and multimodal stimulation affects prenatal auditory learning in bobwhite quail embryos.

This study examined the relationship between unimodal and multimodal sensory stimulation and their effects on prenatal auditory learning in bobwhite quail embryos. Embryos exposed to a maternal call in the 24 hr prior to hatching (unimodal condition) significantly preferred this familiar call over an unfamiliar call in postnatal testing, but failed to demonstrate this preference when the maternal call was presented concurrently with non-synchronized patterned light (multimodal condition). To further explore this interference effect, we provided one group of embryos concurrent exposure to a maternal call and patterned light for 12 hr followed by 12 hr exposure to the call alone (multimodal-->unimodal call). This group failed to prefer the familiar call during postnatal testing. In contrast, reversing the order of presentation during prenatal exposure (unimodal call-->multimodal) led a second group of subjects to significantly prefer the familiar call, suggesting that the order-dependent timing of sensory stimulation can significantly impact prenatal auditory learning. Experiment 3 examined the influence of modality versus timing of sensory stimulation on prenatal auditory learning by providing three groups of embryos with exposure to a maternal call during the 12 hr prior to hatching and by varying the duration of visual stimulation. Results indicate that 12 hr unimodal exposure to patterned light does not support prenatal auditory learning when it is followed by 12 hr exposure to multimodal stimulation (light-->multimodal), but can facilitate prenatal auditory learning when it is followed by unimodal exposure to the call alone (light-->call). Results are discussed in terms of intersensory relationships during perinatal development.