Data supporting "Perceptually salient differences in a species recognition cue do not promote auditory streaming in eastern gray treefrogs (Hyla versicolor)"

Abstract

This dataset corresponds to behavioral choice tests performed on the females of Hyla versicolor to investigate if this species uses perceptually salient differences in species-recognition cue (pulse rise time) to segregate the signal of a potential mate from other overlapping sounds in the environment. Females in this species chose a potential mate based on the properties of the advertisement call. Advertisement calls having slow pulse rise times (time elapsed from the beginning of a pulse to the pulses's maximum amplitude) and slow pulse repetition rate (around 20 pulses/s) are behaviorally attractive to the females. In contrast, calls having fast rise times and fast pulse rates (~40-50 pulses/s) are unattractive. Here, we exploited the subjects' inherent attractiveness for slow rise times and slow pulse rates to design interleaved pulsatile sequences ABAB (repeating at an unattractive pulse rate of 40 pulses/s) having behaviorally attractive slow (pulses 'A'), and behaviorally unattractive fast (pulses 'B') rise-times. We hypothesized that if the rise-times differences between pulses 'A' and 'B' are perceptually salient then the subjects should segregate ABAB into two sequences (A-A- and B-B-, each at an attractive rate of 20 pulses/s each). We first tested (using a two-alternative choice test; Test C3) if the differences between the two rise times were perceptually salient (subjects got a choice between A-A- and B-B-). We then gave the subjects a segregation task (using a four-alternative choice test; Test T1) wherein they got a choice between four alternatives, three of which were designed to be unattractive (AAAA, BBBB and AABB). The fourth alternative ABAB was attractive only if the subjects could segregate A-A- and B-B-, so as to perceive the "attractive" slow pulse rise time at an "attractive" rate of 20 pulses/s. We did an additional test (using a four-alternative choice test; Test C1) to confirm that subjects prefer slow pulse rise times, slow pulse rates and regular pulse-timing patterns within the calls (a four-alternative choice between AAAA, BBBB, AA-- and A-A-). For each test, we recorded if the subject responded by making a choice ('yes' or 'no'), if it responded, which alternative did it chose, and how long did it take to make the choice (choice latency). We also recorded a subject's id, the temperature at which the behavioral test was performed, and the Sound Pressure Level (SPL) of the broadcast stimuli.