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Reflex Modification: A Tool for Assessing Basic Auditory Function in Anuran Amphibians

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Methods in Comparative Psychoacoustics

Part of the book series: BioMethods ((BIOMETHODS))

Summary

Reflex modification is a psychophysical technique based on the phenomenon that the response to a reflex-eliciting stimulus is changed in amplitude by the prior presentation of a neutral prestimulus. This technique provides reliable data on hearing thresholds both in quiet and in noise for anuran amphibians. Potential difficulties with the reflex modification technique include variability in the effectiveness of the reflex-eliciting stimulus, individual variability between animals, variability in the slopes of psychometric functions, and the small size of reflex modification effects in anurans.

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Suggested Reading

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departments of Psychology and Neuroscience, Brown University, Box 1853, Providence, RI, 02912, USA

    Andrea Megela Simmons

  2. Department of Psychology and Program in Neuroscience, Harvard University, 33 Kirkland Street, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA

    Cynthia F. Moss

Authors
  1. Andrea Megela Simmons
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  2. Cynthia F. Moss
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institut für Zoologie, Technische Universität München, Lichtenbergstr. 4, D-85748, Garching, Germany

    G. M. Klump

  2. Psychology Department, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, 20742, USA

    R. J. Dooling

  3. Department of Psychology Parmly Hearing Institute, Loyola University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, 60626, USA

    R. R. Fay

  4. Psychology Department, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48109-1346, USA

    W. C. Stebbins

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© 1995 Springer Basel AG

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Simmons, A.M., Moss, C.F. (1995). Reflex Modification: A Tool for Assessing Basic Auditory Function in Anuran Amphibians. In: Klump, G.M., Dooling, R.J., Fay, R.R., Stebbins, W.C. (eds) Methods in Comparative Psychoacoustics. BioMethods. Birkhäuser, Basel. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-0348-7463-2_17

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-0348-7463-2_17

  • Publisher Name: Birkhäuser, Basel

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-0348-7465-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-0348-7463-2

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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