Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Perceiving Loudness, Pitch, and Location

Perceiving Loudness, Pitch, and Location

The human brain perceives pitch through two primary mechanisms reflected in place theory and frequency theory. Each mechanism describes how sound waves are interpreted as specific pitches by the brain, offering insights into the intricate processes of auditory perception.
Place theory, or place coding, suggests that different pitches are heard because various sound waves activate specific locations along the cochlea's basilar membrane. The brain determines the pitch of a sound by...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Calibrated microphone array recordings reveal that a gleaning bat emits low-intensity echolocation calls even in open-space habitat.

The Journal of experimental biology·2023

Same author

Urbanisation generates multiple trait syndromes for terrestrial animal taxa worldwide.

Nature communications·2023

Same author

Temperate bats may alter calls to partially compensate for weather-induced changes in detection distance.

The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America·2023

Same author

Hunting bats adjust their echolocation to receive weak prey echoes for clutter reduction.

Science advances·2021

Same author

Light might suppress both types of sound-evoked antipredator flight in moths.

Ecology and evolution·2020

Same author

Modeling active sensing reveals echo detection even in large groups of bats.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2019

Same journal

Differential responses to photoperiod in juveniles of two migratory songbird species.

The Journal of experimental biology·2026

Same journal

A Drosophila overgrowth model reveals extracellular matrix crosslinking limits cardiovascular scaling.

The Journal of experimental biology·2026

Same journal

Control of High-speed Jumps: Removing rotation from the jumps of locusts (Schistocerca gregaria).

The Journal of experimental biology·2026

Same journal

Limits and mechanisms of honey bee colonial thermoregulation in the heat.

The Journal of experimental biology·2026

Same journal

Correction: Sprinting performance is linked to surface activity in scorpions.

The Journal of experimental biology·2026

Same journal

Tactile pup loss and acoustic signal enhance selective maternal retrieval behavior in echolocating bats, Pipistrellus abramus.

The Journal of experimental biology·2026

See all related articles

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Nov 28, 2025

A Lightweight, Headphones-based System for Manipulating Auditory Feedback in Songbirds

A Lightweight, Headphones-based System for Manipulating Auditory Feedback in Songbirds

Published on: November 26, 2012

Task-dependent vocal adjustments to optimize biosonar-based information acquisition.

Daniel Lewanzik¹, Holger R Goerlitz¹

¹Acoustic and Functional Ecology, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Eberhard-Gwinner-Straße, 82319 Seewiesen, Germany daniel.lewanzik@gmx.de hgoerlitz@orn.mpg.de.

The Journal of Experimental Biology

|November 25, 2020

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Bats dynamically adjust their echolocation signals based on task difficulty. They increase information gathering for challenging tasks, demonstrating behavioral flexibility in sensory perception.

Keywords:

Active sensing Behavioural flexibility Sensory processing Sensory-motor constraints

More Related Videos

fMRI Mapping of Brain Activity Associated with the Vocal Production of Consonant and Dissonant Intervals

fMRI Mapping of Brain Activity Associated with the Vocal Production of Consonant and Dissonant Intervals

Published on: May 23, 2017

Targeted Training of Ultrasonic Vocalizations in Aged and Parkinsonian Rats

Targeted Training of Ultrasonic Vocalizations in Aged and Parkinsonian Rats

Published on: August 8, 2011

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Nov 28, 2025

A Lightweight, Headphones-based System for Manipulating Auditory Feedback in Songbirds

A Lightweight, Headphones-based System for Manipulating Auditory Feedback in Songbirds

Published on: November 26, 2012

fMRI Mapping of Brain Activity Associated with the Vocal Production of Consonant and Dissonant Intervals

fMRI Mapping of Brain Activity Associated with the Vocal Production of Consonant and Dissonant Intervals

Published on: May 23, 2017

Targeted Training of Ultrasonic Vocalizations in Aged and Parkinsonian Rats

Targeted Training of Ultrasonic Vocalizations in Aged and Parkinsonian Rats

Published on: August 8, 2011

Area of Science:

Animal Behavior
Sensory Ecology
Bioacoustics

Background:

Animals must balance information acquisition costs with movement needs.
Echolocating animals offer insights into adaptive sensing due to direct signal control.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate how bats adapt echolocation information acquisition based on specific tasks.
To understand the flexibility in sensory-motor planning for dynamic environments.

Main Methods:

Recorded echolocation signals from wild Western barbastelle bats (Barbastella barbastellus).
Observed bats during various tasks: flying through openings, drinking, landing, and capturing prey.

Main Results:

Echolocation signal sequences varied significantly with task difficulty.
Bats initiated target approach earlier and increased information update rates for more demanding tasks.
Adjustments in call duration and peak frequency were task-dependent and present from the start of object approach.

Conclusions:

Bats exhibit high behavioral flexibility in adjusting acoustic information flow.
Sensory-motor programs for navigation are planned based on received echo information.
Adaptive sensing is crucial for animals navigating complex, dynamic environments.