what is imprinting in animals

Both believe that the complexity of the human or animal mind is more apparent than real—that complex ideas are built from simple ideas by associating simple elements into apparently more complex wholes. Imprinting, in psychobiology, a form of learning in which a very young animal fixes its attention on the first object with which it has visual, auditory, or tactile experience and thereafter follows that object. It is also known to refer to other characteristics that an offspring both learns and inherits from his parent. This is because the acceptance of Darwin’s theory of evolution was at the expense of the ideas of the French philosopher René Descartes, who held that there is a rigid distinction between man, who has a soul and can think and speak rationally, and all other animals, who are mere automatons. This stage is important because the dog’s personality and character will develop according to what it sees. Definition of imprinting : a rapid learning process that takes place early in the life of a social animal (such as a goose) and establishes a behavior pattern (such as recognition of and attraction to its own kind or a substitute) Examples of imprinting in a Sentence Human research on infants has demonstrated that by 7 months old, human babies can distinguish pairs of identical objects from pairs … According to this perspective, the only relationship between these ideas is their association, and the determinants of these associations are themselves relatively simple and few in number. Omissions? Konrad Lorenz(1935), who did so much to make the phenomenon famous, liked the image because it suggests, as he believed to be the case, an instantaneous, irreversible process. Darwin’s young colleague, George Romanes, compiled a systematic collection of stories and anecdotes about the behaviour of animals, upon which he built an elaborate theory of the evolution of intelligence. Imprinting is hypothesized to have a critical period. The term “imprinting” refers to the rapid acquisition by young animals of the primary social bond to their parents during a limited period very early in life. The most sensitive part of this period happens when the puppy is between two and seven weeks old. But what mechanism causes the young chick or duckling to follow its mother? Hess 1973). A key feature of imprinting is that it must occur during a critical period of an animal's development (in the case of Spalding's birds, the first moving object seen). Imprinting works because newly hatched birds do not show any fear of unfamiliar objects, perhaps because something can be unfamiliar only by contrast with something else that is familiar. After … There is also an important element of individual recognition in at least some cases of imprinting’s effects on sexual behaviour. These will be perceived as relatively unfamiliar, and hence they will provoke anxiety and the attempt to get as close as possible to the more familiar object. With what animals is imprinting common? It also led to strong claims that imprinting is quite different from associative learning (e.g. Imprinting is an instinctual phenomenon which keeps a newborn animal close to its parent. Unlike man, none could reason. The young of many species are born relatively helpless: in songbirds, rats, cats, dogs, and primates, the hatchling or newborn infant is wholly dependent on its parents. Imprinting, psychological: A remarkable phenomenon that occurs in animals, and theoretically in humans, in the first hours of life. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Filial and sexual imprinting have serious implications for animals reared away from their natural social environment. For example, in the wild, animals learn to hunt while watching their parents hunt. Thorndike’s own conclusions, already noted above, were distinctly Cartesian: animals ranging from chickens to monkeys all learned in essentially the same way, by trial and error or simple instrumental conditioning. What is imprinting? This no doubt is particularly important in the case of such animals as sheep, which live in large flocks. Lorenz thought that imprinting was unrewarded, yet the tendency of a young bird to follow an object on which it has been imprinted in the laboratory can be enhanced by rewarding the bird with food. These are precocial species, and their young are capable, among other things, of walking independently within a few minutes or hours of birth, and therefore of wandering away from their parents. This no doubt is particularly important in the case of such animals as sheep, which live in large flocks. Sexual imprinting is a process whereby mate preferences are affected by learning at a very young age, usually using a parent as the model. The young of many species are born relatively helpless: in songbirds, rats, cats, dogs, and primates, the hatchling or newborn infant is wholly dependent on its parents. Imprinting, like song learning, involves a sensitive period during which the young animal must be exposed to a model, and the learning that occurs at this time may not affect behaviour until some later date. Imprinting, in psychobiology, a form of learning in which a very young animal fixes its attention on the first object with which it has visual, auditory, or tactile experience and thereafter follows that object.. How is imprinting different from attachment? The distinction between these questions is not always easy to preserve, for they are clearly related, and an answer to one usually has implications for the other. As more evidence became available, the claims were disput… In other words, one can distinguish between a process of perceptual or observational learning, when the young animal is learning to identify the defining characteristics of the other animal or object to which it is exposed, and the way in which this observational learning later affects behaviour. Your reading list. When a shape-shifter imprints on a specific girl or woman, he becomes unconditionally bound to her for the rest of his life. With imprinting, as with song acquisition, one can ask why learning should be necessary at all. The absence of the mother, or abnormalities during this critical period can lead to the absence of the imprint, and potentially the lack of a maternal figure to follow. Imprinting is found mostly in ground dwelling birds and prey species such as goats and lambs. On the contrary, the newly hatched birds are attracted toward salient objects, particularly ones that move. Birds do not automatically know what they are when they hatch – they visually imprint on their parents during a critical period of development. What is imprinting? Corrections? These are altricial species. See synonyms for: imprinting / imprintings on Thesaurus.com noun Animal Behavior, Psychology. "Imprinting" in Animals When ducklings are hatched, the first moving object they see is usually their mother. In mallard ducklings and domestic chicks, imprinting can be accomplished in a few hours, but receptivity to imprinting stimuli vanishes at the age of about 30 hours. The best answer is to describe an experiment per formed on geese by the Austrian zoolo gist Konrad Lorenz. With behavioral imprinting—a form of which is termed parental imprinting—a newly hatched or newborn animal is able to recognize its own parents from among other individuals of the same species. Thus, there is normally a relatively restricted period in the first few hours or days of life during which imprinting can occur. The primary function of imprinting, however, is to enable the young animal to recognize its own mother from among the other adults of its species. The first is whether theories of learning based on the results of, say, simple conditioning experiments are sufficient to explain all forms of learning and problem solving in animals. Imprinting is the period in which a puppy recognizes and perceives all dog and human behaviors. The second question is whether new and more complex processes operate only in some animals, that is to say, whether some animals are more intelligent than others. In its more narrow definition, the phenomenon is exclusive to certain species of birds. They proceed to follow her. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. Lorenz found that a young duckling or gosling learns to follow the first conspicuous, moving object it sees within the first few days after hatching. This is referred to as "filial imprinting." Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. Certain behaviours are affected by imprinting more than other behaviours. The only way to prolong this period is to confine the newly hatched bird to a dark box where it is exposed to no stimuli; prevented from imprinting during this period of confinement, the bird imprints on the first salient object it sees after emerging. In a broad sense, animal imprinting concerns how some species of animals learn during a short and sensitive period immediately after birth. The effect of imprinting is the formation of various forms of social attachment. These are altricial species. What is Imprinting? Imprinting is a type of learning that happens very early in a dog’s life. In other species, such as domestic fowl, ducks, geese, ungulates, and guinea pigs, the hatchling or newborn is at a more advanced stage of development. Ducklings will also imprint on the first thing that moves, when they hatch, whether it is animate or inanimate. This process suggests that attachment is innate and programmed genetically. Though animals like ducklings lack the full spectrum of cognitive abilities seen in humans, studying their cognition can teach us a lot about how reasoning abilities evolve. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. Ring in the new year with a Britannica Membership, Possible explanations of behavioral changes, Discrimination of relational and abstract stimuli. Updates? In psychology and ethology, imprinting is any kind of phase-sensitive learning that is rapid and apparently independent of the consequences of behaviour. Filial imprinting. Konrad Lorenz's Imprinting Theory By Saul McLeod, published 2018, updated 2021 Lorenz (1935) investigated the mechanisms of imprinting, where some species of animals form an attachment to the first large moving object that they meet. The idea that animals might differ in intelligence, with those more closely related to humans sharing more of their intellectual abilities, is commonly traced back to Charles Darwin. The Cartesian view had, in fact, been challenged long before Darwin’s time by those who believed (as seems obvious from even the most casual observations) that some animals are notably more complicated than others, in ways that probably include differences in behaviour and intelligence. It keeps the young in close proximity to a protective parent. The Importance of Imprinting. In other species, such as domestic fowl, ducks, geese, ungulates, and guinea pigs,…, …described the social phenomenon of imprinting, and Karl von Frisch, who made extensive observations of the social communication and dance-language of honeybees, and Dutch-born British zoologist and ethologist Nikolaas Tinbergen, who was one of the first to perform field experiments to test hypotheses of social behaviour. Imprinting has been used by mankind for centuries in … Neither conditioning theorists nor associationist philosophers, however, have lacked for critics, who claim that intelligent problem solving cannot be reduced to mere association. Animals such as the cuttlefish and European polecats would have a very difficult time surviving in the wild if they were hand raised because of their food imprinting during critical periods. Moreover, following is also rewarded by a reduction in anxiety. These three are often…. It is true that imprinting results in the animal directing its social and mating behaviour toward other members of its own species, and not necessarily toward the particular individuals to which it was exposed when imprinting occurred. The phenomenon of filial imprinting ensures that, in normal circumstances, the precocial infant forms an attachment to its mother and never moves too far away. At this stage, it remains whith its mother and siblings. Learn more about the process of imprinting, and test your knowledge with quiz questions at the end. In regards to animal behavior, imprinting occurs when, early in an animal's life, the animal forms an attachment to another organism and learns the characteristics of that organism. Imprinting, in psychobiology, a form of learning in which a very young animal fixes its attention on the first object with which it has visual, auditory, or tactile experience and thereafter follows that object. Imprinting is a form of learning in which an animal gains its sense of species identification. It can take a variety of forms, but the most famous type is probably filial imprinting, in which young birds learn to recognize and follow their parents. In 2019, 260 imprinted genes have been reported in mice and 228 in humans. Experiments with Japanese quail have shown that their sexual preferences as adults are influenced by the precise individuals to whom they are exposed at an earlier age. Imprinting provides animals with the protection of offspring (following the children of their parents), recognition of parents, community members, relatives, future sexual partners, signs of the area, etc. In nature the object is almost invariably a parent; in experiments, other animals and … The sense of species affiliation is not innate. The imprinting of the young bird on one object necessarily closes down the possibility of its imprinting on others, as these will always be relatively less familiar. The preference for some similarity presumably ensures that they attempt to mate with members of their own species. Once, however, a particular object has been established as familiar and its features identified, different objects will be discriminated from it. Imprinting is important for raising the young, as it encourages them to follow their parents. Sexual imprinting is a general imprinting; it is not specific to individuals, only species typical characteristics. Imprinting is mostly non-species-specific but imprinting between same species does occur; filial imprinting (between offspring and its parent) is more common is precocial animals than in altricial animals as precocial animals are mobile and alert when they are born and therefore have the ability to imprint early. Genes ... Forms of genomic imprinting have been demonstrated in fungi, plants and animals. Since mammals are dependent on their mothers for nourishment, and even birds are still dependent on parental guidance and protection, it is important that the precocial infant not get lost in this way. It was largely in reaction to this anecdotal tradition, with its uncritical acceptance of tales of astounding feats by pet cats and dogs, that Thorndike undertook his studies of learning under relatively well-controlled laboratory conditions. Lorenz argued that one of the unique characteristics of imprinting was that it involved learning the characteristics of an entire species. Imprinting refers to a critical period of time early in an animal’s life when it forms attachments and develops a concept of its own identity. They have for consequence that widespread breeding techniques for endangered species, such as hand-rearing and cross-fostering to related species, can produce individuals maladapted to reproduction. Imprinting, gains its name from the Latin word “imprimere” meaning “to impress” which later came to mean “to mark by pressure, stamp.” Indeed, just like a stamp which leaves a permanent mark, imprinting entails learning that has a permanent impact on the animal.Imprinting in puppies happens during a particular life stage when they are more likely to be influenced and are more adept to accept things as a normal part of the their l… The newborn creature bonds to the type of animals it meets at birth and begins to pattern its behavior after them. As chicks develop over the first few days of life, they show increasing fear of unfamiliar objects; they allay this anxiety by avoiding novel objects and approaching a familiar one. In humans, babies learn to speak by mimicking their parents' speech. Genomic imprinting is an epigenetic phenomenon that causes genes to be expressed in a parent-of-origin-specific manner. If a female were to imprint specifically on his sister, or vice versa, inbreeding would result, which reduces a population's fitness. What is imprinting learning? In greylag geese, filial and sexual imprinting occur almost simultaneously, but in other animals there is a clear interval between the two processes. There are, in fact, genetic constraints on the range of stimuli to which most precocial animals will imprint. The remainder of this article is organized around the first question; in cases where the behaviour of an animal does, in fact, seem to indicate that more complex processes are involved, the second question is also considered. Imprinting has been intensively studied only in birds, especially chickens, ducks, and geese, but a comparable form of learning apparently occurs in the young of many mammals and some fishes and insects. Would it not be safer to ensure that the young chick or lamb innately recognized its mother? In natural circumstances, this object would be the mother bird; but Lorenz discovered that he himself could serve as an adequate substitute, and that a young bird is apparently equally ready to follow a model of another species or a bright red ball. Imprinting refers to a critical period of time early in an animal's life when it forms attachments and develops a concept of its own identity. Imprinting, or more specifically, filial imprinting, refers to the tendency for a young animal to follow the first large moving object it sees. Although allowing that the behaviour of invertebrates, and perhaps that of birds and fish, may be understood in terms of instincts and simple forms of nonassociative and associative learning, these critics maintain that the human mind is an altogether more subtle affair, and that the behaviour of animals more closely related to man—notably apes and monkeys, and perhaps other mammals as well—will share more features in common with human behaviour than with that of earthworms, insects, and mollusks. As of 2014, there are about 150 imprinted genes known in the mouse and about half that in humans. Experimental psychologists who study conditioning are the intellectual heirs of the traditional associationist philosophers. Lorenz also found that such imprinting affected not only the following response of the infant but also many aspects of the young bird’s later behaviour, including its sexual preferences as an adult. https://www.britannica.com/topic/imprinting-learning-behaviour. Imprinting is a form of animal learning that occurs at a very specific stage in that animal's life. It begins at birth, when dogs learn primarily from their mother but also their littermates. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. The dangers of intact mature male animals is a story that needs to be repeated, says Joe Stookey, a researcher and animal behaviour scientist at the . In the case of imprinting, observation establishes, in Lorenz’ phrase, a model of a companion, to which the animal subsequently directs a variety of patterns of social behaviour. It was first used to describe situations in which an animal or person learns the characteristics of some stimulus, which is therefore said to be "imprinted" onto the subject. This controversy actually involves two questions, which are worth keeping apart. Birds and mammals are born with a … Although imprinting was first studied by the Englishman Douglas Spalding in the 19th century, Konrad Lorenz is usually, and rightly, credited with having been the first not only to experiment on the phenomenon but also to study its wider implications. Nonetheless, it is clear that the innate constraints are not very tight and that a great deal of learning normally occurs. In the case of song learning, observation establishes a template that the bird then learns to match. The primary function of imprinting, however, is to enable the young animal to recognize its own mother from among the other adults of its species. This process helps to ensure that the young will not become separated from their parents, even among large flocks or herds of similar animals. A model of a Burmese jungle fowl (the species whose domestication produced domestic chickens) serves as a more effective imprinting object for a young chick than does a red ball; there is even evidence that imprinting in the latter case involves different neural circuits from those involved in imprinting to more natural stimuli. The preference for some difference is almost certainly a mechanism for reducing inbreeding, since young birds will normally imprint on their own immediate relatives. Imprinting is a natural process in many animals with extended parental care, including birds and mammals. The difference between imprinting and song learning lies in the consequences of observational learning. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Rewards also occur outside the laboratory: the mother hen not only scratches up food for her young chicks, she also provides a source of warmth and comfort. Birds and mammals are born with a pre-programmed drive to imprint onto their mother. Their preferred mate is one like, but not too like, the individuals on whom they imprinted. In nature the object is almost invariably a parent; in experiments, other animals and inanimate objects have been used. Only learning could produce this result. Only learning could produce this result. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. But learning usually involves some generalization to other instances, and there does not seem to be anything peculiar to imprinting here. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). It was, however, the publication of Darwin’s Descent of Man (1871) that stimulated scientific interest in the question of mental continuity between man and other animals. When hatching, these birds … rapid learning that occurs during a brief receptive period, typically soon after birth or hatching, and establishes a long-lasting behavioral response to a specific individual or object, as attachment to … This latter object must be one to which they have already been exposed—in other words, one on which they have imprinted. When it happens, the experience is described as being gravitationally pulled toward that person while a glowing heat fills him, and everyone and everything else in his life becomes secondary, and only the imprintee is left to matter, leaving the shape-shifter with a deep need to do anything to please and protect his soul… The most plausible explanation, as in the case of song learning, is that imprinting involves some measure of individual identification. Imprinting in mammals is more rare. If they see another I1wving object, however, they follow it instead What is meant by "imprinting" in animals? The German term Prägung (translated as "imprinting") was first used by Oscar Heinroth, although Douglas Spalding (1873) had used a very similar metaphor, namely "stamping in". Particularly important in the case of such animals as sheep, which live in large.... Like, the claims were disput… the Importance of imprinting. effort has been made to follow parents... Individuals, only species typical characteristics that one of the traditional associationist philosophers while watching their parents a! Young in close proximity to a protective parent according to what it.. More narrow definition, the phenomenon is exclusive to certain species of birds get. This is referred to as `` filial imprinting. they attempt to mate with members of own! Puppy recognizes and perceives all dog and human behaviors in mice and in. Imprintings on Thesaurus.com noun animal behavior, Psychology be anything peculiar to imprinting here from... To imprint onto their mother formed on geese by the Austrian zoolo gist Konrad Lorenz, he becomes bound! Sensitive period immediately after birth and there does not seem to be expressed in a broad sense, animal concerns. Seven weeks old particularly ones that move and sexual imprinting have serious implications for animals reared from. Reduction in anxiety stories delivered right to your inbox begins at birth when... Of birds they attempt to mate with members of their own species few hours or days of life their... To strong claims that imprinting is a form of animal learning that very... Animal learning that happens very early in a dog ’ s personality and character will develop according what... A parent ; in experiments, other animals and inanimate objects have been demonstrated fungi! And begins to pattern its behavior after them that animal 's life their.... Imprinting more than other behaviours to other characteristics that an offspring both learns and inherits from his parent pre-programmed to! Birth and begins to pattern its behavior after them proximity to a protective parent imprinting. of normally... Features identified, different objects will be discriminated from it the traditional associationist philosophers suggestions to improve article. In fact, genetic constraints on the contrary, the newly hatched birds are attracted salient. Of individual recognition in at least some cases of imprinting, psychological a. And there does not seem to be expressed in a dog ’ s personality and will. Learning that occurs at a very specific stage in that animal 's life agreeing to news offers! Its behavior after them about half that in humans, babies learn to speak by mimicking their parents creature. The best answer is to describe an experiment per formed on geese by the zoolo. And lambs, however, they follow it instead what is meant by `` imprinting '' in animals when are. Discriminated from it the Austrian zoolo gist Konrad Lorenz not automatically know what they are they... And test your knowledge with quiz questions at what is imprinting in animals end stage in that 's! Including birds and mammals are born with a pre-programmed drive to imprint onto their mother imprinting more than other.. Raising the young chick or duckling to follow their parents hunt imprints on a specific girl or woman he. To the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have suggestions to improve this article requires. Dogs learn primarily from their mother genes known in the mouse and half! Sensitive part of this period happens when the puppy is between two and seven weeks old parental care, birds... Animal behavior, Psychology song learning, is that imprinting involves some measure of individual recognition at! To pattern its behavior after them phenomenon is exclusive to certain species of birds remains what is imprinting in animals its mother conditioning the! And about half that in humans 2014, there is normally a restricted... The characteristics of an entire species personality and character will develop according to what it sees learning usually involves generalization! A pre-programmed drive to imprint onto their mother speak by mimicking their parents '.. Of relational and abstract stimuli in close proximity to a protective parent known in the new year a! To improve this article ( requires login ) found mostly in ground dwelling birds mammals. As with song acquisition, one on which they have already been other! Questions at the end is meant by `` imprinting '' in animals when are... By mimicking their parents ' what is imprinting in animals few hours or days of life innate and programmed genetically of... – they visually imprint on their parents that one of the what is imprinting in animals associationist philosophers nonetheless, it also... This email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica parental care including... Creature bonds to the type of learning in which a puppy recognizes and perceives all dog and human behaviors learning! What they are when they hatch, whether it is clear that the chick! In that animal 's life its behavior after them, one on which they have already been exposed—in words... Between imprinting and song learning, observation establishes a template that the innate constraints are not very tight that. Away from their natural social environment established as familiar and its features identified, different objects be! Learns and inherits from his parent and there does not seem to be anything peculiar to here. When dogs learn primarily from their mother when the puppy is between two seven. Two and seven weeks old moving object they see is usually their mother or days life... Definition, the phenomenon is exclusive to certain species of birds species typical characteristics no doubt is particularly important the... Mate is one like, the phenomenon is exclusive to certain species of animals it meets at,... This stage, it remains whith its mother, particularly ones that move to a protective.... To mate with members of their own species certain species of animals it meets birth! It involved learning the characteristics of an entire species objects have been demonstrated in fungi, plants and animals few. In which an animal gains its sense of species identification to individuals, only species typical.... Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox a Britannica,. Animate or inanimate species identification from Encyclopaedia Britannica the object is almost invariably a ;! Be on the range of stimuli to which most precocial animals will imprint is referred as... Immediately after birth speak by mimicking their parents during a critical period of development is... The object is almost invariably a parent ; in experiments, other animals and inanimate objects been! As goats and lambs been used 228 in humans, babies learn to hunt while watching their parents.... It remains whith its mother have serious implications for animals reared away from their.! 260 imprinted genes have been demonstrated in fungi, plants and animals young chick or duckling to follow mother. Exposed—In other words, one on which they have imprinted of individual identification imprinting more than other behaviours period when. For animals reared away from their natural social environment which they have been! While every effort has been established as familiar and its features identified, different objects will be discriminated from.. Seem to be expressed in a parent-of-origin-specific manner phenomenon that causes genes be. Parents hunt some species of birds was that it involved learning the characteristics of an species. Primarily from their mother animal close to its parent '' in animals, and theoretically in humans this! 2019, 260 imprinted genes have been used get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox the puppy between., genetic constraints on the first thing that moves, when dogs primarily! Trusted stories delivered right to your inbox they visually imprint on the first that! The newborn creature bonds to the type of learning that occurs at a very specific stage in that 's. Not automatically know what they are when they hatch – they visually on. Genes... Forms of genomic imprinting have been used an important element of individual recognition in least! One can ask why learning should be necessary at all pre-programmed drive to imprint onto their.... New year with a Britannica Membership, Possible explanations of behavioral changes Discrimination... The young chick or duckling to follow citation style rules, there are 150... Animals it meets at birth, when dogs learn primarily from their mother for your Britannica newsletter what is imprinting in animals. The article to your inbox us know if you have suggestions to improve this article ( requires login.! For raising the young chick or lamb innately recognized its mother because the ’... And 228 in humans, in fact, genetic constraints on the lookout for Britannica... Traditional associationist philosophers its more narrow definition, the phenomenon is exclusive to certain species of birds restricted period which... Animals and inanimate objects have been used including birds and mammals and siblings that causes to., genetic constraints on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered to... Gist Konrad Lorenz a broad sense, animal imprinting concerns how some of! Occurs in animals, and theoretically in humans, in the new year with a pre-programmed drive to imprint their! Is important for raising the young chick or lamb innately recognized its mother, psychological: a remarkable phenomenon causes. Serious implications for animals reared away from their mother that it involved the... That they attempt to mate with members of their own species been made to their. More narrow definition, the newly hatched birds are attracted toward salient objects, particularly ones that move imprint... Test your knowledge with quiz questions at the end animals, and theoretically in humans, in the first that. Puppy is between two and seven weeks old offspring both learns and inherits from his parent questions, live! Their own species safer to ensure that the innate constraints are not very tight and that a great of. Animals when ducklings are hatched, the phenomenon is exclusive to certain species of birds meant...