Prenatal sensory experience affects hatching behavior in domestic chicks (Gallus gallus) and Japanese quail chicks (Coturnix coturnix japonica).

Species-typical developmental outcomes result from organismic and environmental constraints and experiences shared by members of a species. We examined the effects of enhanced prenatal sensory experience on hatching behaviors by exposing domestic chicks (n = 95) and Japanese quail (n = 125) to one of four prenatal conditions: enhanced visual stimulation, enhanced auditory stimulation, enhanced auditory and visual stimulation, or no enhanced sensory experience (control condition). In general, across species, control embryos had slower hatching behaviors than all other embryos. Embryos in the auditory condition had faster hatching behaviors than embryos in the visual and control conditions. Auditory-visual condition embryos showed similarities to embryos exposed to either auditory or visual stimulation. These results suggest that prenatal sensory experience can influence hatching behavior of precocial birds, with the type of stimulation being a critical variable. These results also provide further evidence that species-typical outcomes are the result of species-typical prenatal experiences.

Prenatal visual experience induces postnatal motor laterality in Japanese quail chicks (Coturnix coturnix japonica).

Species-typical prenatal visual stimulation in avian species is a necessary component in the development of population level lateralized behaviors. This relationship suggests that species-typical developmental outcomes result from organismic and environmental constraints and experiences shared by members of a species. We examined the effects of prenatal visual experience on the development of turning bias and footedness in Japanese quail chicks, a species which does not demonstrate a naturally occurring level of population laterality and only weak individual laterality. Chicks (n=167) were exposed to one of four prenatal conditions: both eye systems exposed to enhanced visual experience, right eye system exposed/left eye system occluded, left eye system exposed/right eye system occluded, or no enhanced visual experience. When subjects were exposed to prenatal visual stimulation, individual and population level laterality was induced. These results suggest that unilateral prenatal visual experience to the right eye or left eye system is sufficient to induce and influence the direction of individual and population laterality in a species that does not normal demonstrate such biases. The results also provide further evidence that prenatal sensory experiences can elicit the development of postnatal lateralization.

Professors' Facebook content affects students' perceptions and expectations.

Abstract Facebook users must make choices about level of self-disclosure, and this self-disclosure can influence perceptions of the profile's author. We examined whether the specific type of self-disclosure on a professor's profile would affect students' perceptions of the professor and expectations of his classroom. We created six Facebook profiles for a fictitious male professor, each with a specific emphasis: politically conservative, politically liberal, religious, family oriented, socially oriented, or professional. Undergraduate students randomly viewed one profile and responded to questions that assessed their perceptions and expectations. The social professor was perceived as less skilled but more popular, while his profile was perceived as inappropriate and entertaining. Students reacted more strongly and negatively to the politically focused profiles in comparison to the religious, family, and professional profiles. Students reported being most interested in professional information on a professor's Facebook profile, yet they reported being least influenced by the professional profile. In general, students expressed neutrality about their interest in finding and friending professors on Facebook. These findings suggest that students have the potential to form perceptions about the classroom environment and about their professors based on the specific details disclosed in professors' Facebook profiles.

Effects of prenatal visual stimulation on growth and heart rate in bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus).

This study examined the effects of prenatal visual stimulation on bobwhite quail embryos' growth and heart rate. No differences in growth rate were found between embryos exposed to visual stimulation during the late prenatal period and control embryos. Embryos exposed to visual stimulation throughout incubation maintained lower heart rates in response to visual stimulation than did naïve embryos. In a subsequent experiment, naïve embryos that underwent an egg-opening procedure exhibited heart rates that were lower than embryos measured in intact eggshells. Embryos in opened eggs maintained lower heart rates than comparison embryos across time; however, a less invasive egg-opening procedure led to a quicker heart rate recovery than did a more invasive egg-opening procedure. These findings indicate that prenatal heart rate responses may be mediated by multiple features of the organism's developmental context, including intensity and duration of sensory stimulation.

Effects of perinatal visual stimulation on preference, growth, and mortality in African clawed frogs (Xenopus Laevis).

Two exploratory experiments examined the effects of flashing light stimulation on growth, mortality, and behavioral preferences of Xenopus laevis tadpoles. Experiment 1 showed that tadpoles exposed to continuous visual stimulation, from egg-laying through postnatal day 40, had significantly higher mortality rates and weighed significantly less than controls. In contrast to controls, experimental tadpoles showed a preference for visual stimulation throughout early development. Results support the notion that augmented visual stimulation during early development affects species-typical development and the creation of postnatal preferences. Experiment 2 exposed subjects to propranolol in their water to investigate a potential sympathetic nervous system (SNS) mechanism responsible for the previous results. Tadpoles exposed to propranolol and visual stimulation simultaneously did not show a preference for the visual stimulation. Although this preliminary finding suggests SNS involvement, this notion deserves further investigation.