A01

• What did ethologists study in the early 20th century?

  Relationships between newborn animals and mothers
• How did ethologists' observations contribute to psychology?

  They informed understanding of caregiver-infant attachment
• Who was one of the most prominent ethologists?

  Konrad Lorenz
• What phenomenon did Lorenz first observe as a child?

  Imprinting
• What did Lorenz's childhood experience with a duckling demonstrate?

  That ducklings follow the first moving object
• What was the procedure of Lorenz's classic experiment on imprinting?

  • Divided a clutch of goose eggs
  • Half hatched with mother in natural environment
  • Half hatched in incubator with Lorenz as first moving object
• What were the findings of Lorenz's experiment on imprinting?

  Incubator group followed Lorenz, control followed mother
• What happens when the incubator and control groups are mixed?

  Control group follows mother, experimental follows Lorenz
• What is the term for the phenomenon where birds attach to the first moving object they see?

  Imprinting
• What is the critical period for imprinting according to Lorenz?

  It can be as brief as a few hours
• What happens if imprinting does not occur within the critical period?

  Chicks do not attach to a mother figure
• What relationship did Lorenz investigate regarding imprinting and adult mate preferences?

  Birds imprinting on humans display courtship behavior towards them
• What case study did Lorenz describe in 1952?

  A peacock reared with giant tortoises
• What behavior did the peacock display as an adult?

  Directed courtship behavior towards giant tortoises
• What conclusion did Lorenz draw from the peacock's behavior?

  The peacock underwent sexual imprinting