How do people hear and recognize the structure and meaning of spoken languages? How do they recall the melodies and rhythms of music? How does the brain store such information and how is it retrieved from memory? Are humans and animals alike in the way they make sense out of sounds they hear? These are the general questions that lie behind Dr. Hulse's research. The underlying problem--how both humans and nonhuman animals learn and remember that sounds occur one after another--is fundamental for the survival of all species. For example, just as humans must manage the serial sounds of language and music, animals (like birds and dolphins, for example) must recognize the communication sounds of their own species in order to find and defend a place to live and to find a mate. As a sample of the research, birds will be tested for their ability to distinguish one pattern of pitches or rhythms from another. Then the patterns will be changed systematically to tease apart the features the birds need to maintain their discrimination. In this way, Dr. Hulse will try to discover the critical features of serial sound patterns (such as bird song) that carry information crucial for communication. Besides its focus on the basic problem of serial order in behavior, this research has the potential for some useful practical application. In the long run, for example, we may gain new information about the things that go wrong with language when injury or stroke occurs.
