Lorenz - Geese

• What was the aim of Lorenz's 1935 study on geese?

  Investigate imprinting
• What is imprinting in the context of Lorenz's study?

  Attachment formation where birds follow the first moving object
• What was the procedure of Lorenz's geese study?

  • Goose eggs split into two groups:
  • Control group: Hatched by mother in natural environment
  • Experimental group: Hatched in incubator, first saw Lorenz
  • Behaviour observed, including mate preferences
• What did Lorenz observe about the experimental group of geese?

  They imprinted on Lorenz and followed him everywhere
• How did the control group of geese behave when mixed with the experimental group?

  Control group followed their mother
• What critical period for imprinting did Lorenz note?

  Between 4 and 25 hours
• What behavior did geese imprinted on humans show?

  They exhibited courtship behaviors
• What did Sluckin (1966) challenge about Lorenz's findings?

  He found a sensitive, not critical period
• What did Guiton (1996) find regarding imprinting in chickens?

  Chickens imprinted on gloves but preferred real chickens later
• Why is the generalizability of Lorenz's findings to humans questioned?

  Mammalian attachment is different from birds
• How does human attachment differ from bird attachment according to the study?

  Human attachment is emotional, complex, and reciprocal