Lorenz's research

• When did Lorenz first observe imprinting?

  When he was a child and a neighbour gave him a newly hatched duckling that then followed him around.
• What was the procedure of Lorenz's study?

  The procedure was:

  • Lorenz divided a group of goose eggs
  • Half of them were hatched with the mother goose in their natural environment
  • The other half were hatched in an incubator where Lorenz was the first moving object that they saw
  • The goslings were then placed under a cardboard box
• What where the findings of Lorenz's study?

  Lorenz found that:

  • When the box was removed the goslings all ran to whoever they had formed their attachment with; Lorenz or the mother goose
  • He also identified a critical period in which imprinting needs to take place
• What was the conclusion of Lorenz's study?

  Attachments are biologically coded into species according to adaptive pressures.
• What is a 'critical period'?

  A period of time in which imprinting needs to take place in order for the animal to be able to survive, usually a few hours.