A baseline-probe technique was used to investigate target echo recognition by an echolocating Atlantic bottlenose porpoise (Tursiops truncatus). Baseline performance was established using a two-alternative, forced-choice method, with two hollow aluminum and two coral rock cylinders (standard targets) presented successively in a random sequence. After a near errorless performance was achieved with the standard targets, probe targets were used to investigate the animal’s target echo recognition capability. The probe target results suggested that the animal learned to recognize the characteristics of echoes from the aluminum standards and differentiated other targets on that basis. All of the targets were subsequently examined by using a broadband porpoise-like acoustic signal. Analysis of the echoes suggested a strong correlation between the behavioral results and measured characteristics of the envelopes of the matched filter responses to the echoes.
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Hammer et al. (1980) studied this question.