Lorenz

• What is imprinting?

  When young follow and form an attachment to the first large moving object they meet
• when was lorenz study?

  1935
• what was the procedure?

  • split a clutch of goose eggs into 2 groups
  • 1/2 natural- reared by their mother
  • 1/2 incubated- first moving object seen was Lorenz
  • Goslings were marked to show which group they were from and placed under an upturned box
  • Behaviour was observed when exposed to Lorenz and mother
• what were the results immediately after birth?


  the naturally reared goslings followed their mother and the incubated followed lorenz
• what were the results once released from the upturned box?

  The naturally reared goslings went straight to their mother and the incubated ones went straight to Lorenz - this effect was NOT REVERSIBLE.
• What was found about the critical period?


  imprinting could only occur 4 - 25 hours after hatching. if it didnt happen in this time he found they did not attach to a mother figure
• What do the results therefore suggest that?

  • imprinting is a form of attachment exhibited, mainly by birds that leave the nest early, whereby close contact is kept with the first large moving object encountered
• what do the results therefore suggest that ?

  this attachment is suggested to be innate and irreversible