Lorenz - Imprinting
Cards (9)
- What is Imprinting?The process by which young animals follow and form an attachment to the first large moving object they meet. It Is mainly exhibited by nidifugous birds (ones that leave their nest early).
- What are the Consequences of Imprinting?
- Short term survival
- Longer term forming internal templates for later relationships
- When does Imprinting occur?Without any feeding taking place. If no attachment has developed within the first 32 hours, it is unlikely any attachment will ever develop.
- When was Lornez's study?1935
- What was Lorenz's aim?Investigate the mechanism of imprinting.
- What was Lorenz's method?12 eggs used in study - split them into two batches.1 was hatched naturally by the mother.1 was hatched in an incubator, with Lorenz being the first moving object they saw.
- What was Lorenz's findings? (Qualitative)Qualitative findings:
- Immediately after birthday, the naturally hatched goslings followed their mother, whilst the incubator hatched goslings followed Lorenz around.
- When released from the upturned box, the naturally hatched goslings when to their mother bu the incubator hatched ones followed Lorenz. Bonds proved to be irreversible.
- Lorenz subsequently reported on how goslings imprinted onto humans would, as matured adult birds, attempt to mate with humans.
- What was Lorenz's findings? (Quantitive)
- Imprinting would only occur with a brief, set time period between 4 and 25 hours after hatching.
- The imprinting and following must have lasted for about 10 mins to fully imprint.
- What was Lorenz's conclusion?Imprinting was irreversible suggests that it is an innate process that is biologically triggered rather than learnt. The concept of critical period for forming attachments, as shown in this study, has been carried overt theories of human attachment (Bowlby) and that adult geese imprinted onto humans later tried to mate with humans suggested that imprinting is important for late relationships as well as for short-term survival.