Lorenz

• What is imprinting?

  Certain animals attach to their mother strongly and will follow her
• what year did lorenz do his experiment on goslings?

  1935
• what was the procedure?

  • goose eggs randomly divided
  • one half hatched by incubator
  • other half hatched with mother
• what were the findings?

  • goslings who Lorenz hatched imprinted on him, following him rather than mother goose.
  • the gosling who hatched with mother followed her.
  • lorenz placed all goslings in a box and when released, the goslings who imprinted on lorenz found him and continued to follow
• what did lorenz say the critical period was?

  32 hours to form an attachment
• what did his research suggest?

  imprinting is a strong biological feature in certain birds, and imprinting is with the first large object visually seen
• what did Lorenz find, involving sexual imprinting?

  birds that imprinted on humans would later display courtship behaviour to them
• what evidence is there for sexual imprinting?

  • peacock first saw giant tortoise after hatching
  • as an adult, it only displayed courtship behaviour towards the tortoise
• Evaluate poor generalisability to humans?

  • Problem generalising form birds to humans.
  • Mammalian attachment system is different from that in birds
  • Mammals may be able to form attachments at any time.
• evaluate later researchers questioning some of lorenz’s conclusions?

  • idea that imprinting has permanent effect on mating behaviour.
  • guiton et al 1966 - found that chickens who imprinted on yellow gloves would try to mate with them as adults.
  • but with experience they eventually learned to prefer mating with other chickens
  • imprinting is not as permanent as Lorenzz believed