A01

• What is imprinting?

  An innate readiness to develop a strong bond with the first moving object seen which normally takes place during the first few hours after birth
• What are the long-lasting effects of imprinting?

  It affects later mating preferences and it is irreversible
• What is sexual imprinting?

  Animals (especially birds) will choose to mate with the same kind of object upon which they imprinted
• What is the study which shows evidence for imprinting?

  Lorenz (1952)
• Describe the procedure of Lorenz's study

  - Split a clutch of geese - one half hatched with mother and other hatched in incubator - Lorenz was the first moving object they encountered

  - Lorenz recorded their behaviour
• Describe the findings of Lorenz's study

  Naturally hatched goslings followed mother, incubator ones followed Lorenz.
• Which study showed evidence that attachment is not based on the feeding bond ?

  Harlow (1958)
• What is the critical period in animals?

  - A mother figure has to be introduced to an infant within 90 days for an attachment to form

  - After this time the damage caused by early deprivation is irreversible
• Describe the procedure of Harlow's study

  - Reared 16 baby monkeys with two wire 'mothers'

  - Condition 1 = wire mother dispensed milk

  - Condition 2 = cloth mother dispensed milk

  - Measured time spent with each mother and observed reactions of monkeys when frightened
• Describe the findings of Harlow's study

  Regardless of which mother dispensed milk, monkeys always preferred the cloth mother
• What were some of the long-lasting effects of maternal deprivation on the monkeys?

  They grew up to be more aggressive, less social and some attacked their own children or even killed them
• According to Lorenz is imprinting reversible or irreversible?

  Irreversible