Does experience affect which cues to sound location are used at different sound frequencies? Humans locate low-frequency sounds using differences in the timing of sound heard by each ear (a sound presented on one side of the head takes longer to reach the far ear). At high frequencies, humans rely more on differences in the intensity of sound heard by each ear (a sound is louder in the ear closest to it). This paper shows that ferrets are very similar to humans in this respect (which is known as the Duplex theory of sound localization). With extensive training, ferrets can also learn to locate low-frequency sounds using differences in the intensity of sound heard by each ear. Previous experience therefore affects which cues to sound location are used at particular frequencies.
Keating P, Nodal FR, King AJ (2014) Behavioral sensitivity to binaural spatial cues in ferrets: evidence for plasticity in the duplex theory of sound localization. European Journal of Neuroscience 39:197-206.
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UCL Ear Institute 