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Comment
. 2014 Dec;37(6):574-6; discussion 577-604.
doi: 10.1017/S0140525X13004226.

Modification of spectral features by nonhuman primates

Daniel J Weiss  1 , Cara F Hotchkin  2 , Susan E Parks  3
Affiliations
Comment

Modification of spectral features by nonhuman primates

Daniel J Weiss et al. Behav Brain Sci. 2014 Dec.

Abstract

Ackermann et al. discuss the lack of evidence for vocal control in nonhuman primates. We suggest that nonhuman primates may be capable of achieving greater vocal control than previously supposed. In support of this assertion, we discuss new evidence that nonhuman primates are capable of modifying spectral features in their vocalizations.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
(Weiss et al.). Representative CLCs produced during (a) control and (b) treatment trials demonstrating changes to spectral tilt. All whistles from (a) have strong fundamental frequencies and maximum energy in the 2nd harmonic, while in (b) the first whistle has a very faint fundamental frequency at approximately 2 kHz, and peak frequencies for all whistles occur in the 4th harmonics. Reduced energy in the fundamental frequency is also apparent in the second and third whistles. Spectrogram parameters: 1024 point Hamming window, 75% overlap, 11.7 Hz frequency resolution.
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