Research: Lorenz (1935)

• PROCEDURE

  Lorenz used a LABORATORY experiment and randomly divided a clutch of gosling eggs into two groups (independent groups design).

  • Control group - half the eggs were left with the mother goose in their natural environment
  • Experimental group - half of the eggs were placed in an incubator. When they hatched the first moving object they saw was Lorenz.
• FINDINGS (imprinting)


  The group who had seen Lorenz first followed him closely, as if he were their mother and appeared to have formed a rapid attachment with him.
• Long term effects 


  the process of imprinting is irreversible and long lasting - also found that early imprinting had an effect on later mate preferences, called sexual imprinting
• Critical period


  this was also identified as a certain amount of time where imprinting needed to have taken place
• CONCLUSION (imprinting)


  evolutionary advantage of forming an attachment - the young animal that follows its mother is more likely to be safe from predators, to be fed and to learn how to find food
• Strength (Lorenz)


  Research support - Guiton (1966) exposed chicks to yellow rubber gloves whilst feeding them, during their first few weeks after birth, was found that they became imprinted on the glove.