Click on the diagram to view a cat performing a tone detection task. Cats perform the hold-release task to obtain a short burst of liquefied cat food which is delivered to the mouth by a small spout. The canvas bag and collar keep the cat at a fixed location relative to the test speaker and are designed to hold the subject in a comfortable seated position. Cats work at the task in one-hour sessions five days a week. Our feline subjects seem to prize the meaty diet that is associated with the behavioral task and readily run to the testing chamber to begin their daily session.
All behavioral testing is conducted by computer.
The cat indicates its readiness to perform a trial by pressing down on a lever near its right front paw. The subject obtains a food reward by releasing the lever quickly after the start of the speaker alternations. A graphic interface displays the cat's performance on the computer monitor during the behavioral session. Usually, larger speaker changes produce a higher percentage of correct lever releases. Catch trials are presented to estimate the subject's tendency to release the lever when a speaker change isn't actually detected.