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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 14, 2026

Mapping Cortical Dynamics Using Simultaneous MEG/EEG and Anatomically-constrained Minimum-norm Estimates: an Auditory Attention Example

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Biosonar dynamics and spatial attention in an unpredictable virtual localization task.

Amaro Tuninetti¹, Pedro R Polanco², James A Simmons^2,3

¹Department of Cognitive and Psychological Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA.

The Journal of Experimental Biology

|January 13, 2026

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Big brown bats adjust spatial attention when localizing echoes. Peripheral target shifts and clutter decrease accuracy, showing attention is biased centrally.

Keywords:

Adaptive sensing Bat Echolocation Horizontal sound localization Sonar beam

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Area of Science:

Animal behavior
Sensory neuroscience
Bioacoustics

Background:

Echolocating bats navigate complex environments by emitting sound and interpreting returning echoes.
Understanding how bats process auditory spatial information is crucial for comprehending their foraging strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate how big brown bats adjust spatial attention during echo localization.
To determine the influence of unpredictable target shifts and background clutter on bat echolocation accuracy and behavior.

Main Methods:

Psychophysical experiments using virtual auditory targets presented via loudspeakers.
Trained four big brown bats to detect and localize echoes in stationary and shifting conditions.
Manipulated target unpredictability, peripheral shifts, and weak background clutter.

Main Results:

Bats were less accurate with peripheral and contralateral target shifts.
Localization was faster but less precise in the periphery, with a tendency for central acoustic gaze.
Weak clutter reduced localization accuracy and slowed beam aim adjustment.
Bats increased echolocation effort (reduced interpulse intervals, more sound groups) when localizing shifted targets, indicating higher perceived difficulty.

Conclusions:

Spatial attention in echolocating bats is biased towards the center of their acoustic field of view.
Background clutter significantly impacts echo localization performance and attentional strategies.
Individual bats exhibit different problem-solving approaches, highlighting behavioral plasticity.