Konrad Lorenz's Imprinting Theory - Simply Psychology

For example, Guiton (1966) using chicks showed yellow rubber gloves to feed them during the critical period and the chicks imprinted on the glove. Togglenavigation TheoriesResearchMethodsMentalHealthA-levelStatistics AttachmentTheoryKonradLorenzKonradLorenz'sImprintingTheoryKonradLorenz'sImprintingTheoryBySaulMcLeod,published2018,updated2021Lorenz(1935)investigatedthemechanismsofimprinting,wheresomespeciesofanimalsformanattachmenttothefirstlargemovingobjectthattheymeet.Thisprocesssuggeststhatattachmentisinnateandprogrammedgenetically.Hetookalargeclutchofgooseeggsandkeptthemuntiltheywereabouttohatchout. Halfoftheeggswerethenplacedunderagoosemother,whileLorenzkepttheotherhalfhatchedinanincubator,withLorenzmakingsurehewasthefirstmovingobjectthenewlyhatchedgoslingsencounteredWhenthegeesehatchedLorenzimitatedamotherduck'squackingsound,uponwhichtheyoungbirds regardedhimastheirmotherandfollowedhimaccordingly. Theothergroupfollowedthemothergoose.Lorenzfoundthatgeesefollowthefirstmovingobjecttheysee.Thisprocessisknownasimprinting,andsuggeststhatattachmentisinnateandprogrammedgenetically.Lorenzbelievedthatonceimprintinghasoccurred,itcannotbereversed,norcanagoslingimprintonanythingelse.ToensureimprintinghadoccurredLorenzputallthegoslingstogetherunderanupturnedboxandallowedthemtomix. Whentheboxwasremovedthetwogroupsseparatedtogototheirrespective'mothers'-halftothegoose,andhalftoLorenz.Forexample,Guiton(1966)usingchicksshowedyellowrubberglovestofeedthemduringthecriticalperiodandthechicksimprintedontheglove.Suggeststhatyounganimalimprintonanymovingthingpresentduringthecriticalperiodofdevelopment.Thechickswerethenlaterfoundtryingtomatewiththeyellowrubberglove.ThislargelycorroborateswiththefindingsoriginallyfoundinLorenz’sstudyasthissuggeststhelong-lastingeffectsthestudyasthisisanirreversiblechangeaffectingsocialandsexualbehaviorknownassexualimprinting.Imprintingdoesnotappeartobeactiveimmediatelyafterhatching,althoughthereseemstobeacriticalperiodduringwhichimprintingcanoccur.Hess(1958)showedthatalthoughtheimprintingprocesscouldoccurasearlyasonehour afterhatching,thestrongestresponsesoccurredbetween12and17hoursafterhatching,andthatafter32hourstheresponsewasunlikelytooccuratall. LorenzandHessbelievethatonceimprintinghasoccurreditcannotbereversed,norcanagoslingimprintonanythingelse.Hess(1958)showedthatalthoughtheimprintingprocesscouldoccurasearlyasonehour afterhatching,thestrongestresponsesoccurredbetween12and17hoursafterhatching,andthatafter32hourstheresponsewasunlikelytooccuratall.Imprintinghasconsequences,bothforshort-termsurvival,andinthelongertermforminginternaltemplatesforlaterrelationships. Imprintingoccurswithoutanyfeedingtakingplace.However,therearecriticismsofimprintingastheconceptofimprintingwithinLorenz’sstudysuggeststhatwithinthiscontexttheobjectleadstoanirreversiblesituationonthenervoussystem.However,Hoffman(1976)suggestedthatthisisnotanirreversiblechangewhichisthenfurthersupportedbyGuiton(1966)whichsuggestedthatafterspendingtimewiththeirownspeciestheywereabletoengageinnormalsexualbehaviorsuggestingthatimprintingismoderatelyreversible. DownloadthisarticleasaPDFAPAStyleReferencesGuiton,P.(1966).Earlyexperienceandsexualobject-choiceinthebrownleghorn.AnimalBehavior.Hess,E.H.(1958).Imprintinginanimals.ScientificAmerican,198(3),81-90.Lorenz,K.(1935).DerKumpaninderUmweltdesVogels.DerArtgenossealsauslösendesMoment sozialerVerhaltensweisen.JournalfürOrnithologie,83,137–215,289–413. Klein,S.H.,Hoffman,H.S.,&DePaulo,P.(1976).Someeffectsofearlysocialstimulationontheemotionalreactivityofducklings.AnimalLearning&Behavior,4(3),257-260.FurtherInformationAttachmentTheory JohnBowlby MaryAinsorth-StrangeSituation HodgesandTizard Privation/GenieCaseStudy DownloadthisarticleasaPDFHowtoreferencethisarticle:Howtoreferencethisarticle:McLeod,S.A.(2018,October31).Konradlorenz'simprintingtheory.SimplyPsychology.www.simplypsychology.org/Konrad-Lorenz.html Home|AboutUs|PrivacyPolicy|Advertise|ContactUsBacktotopSimplyPsychology'scontentisforinformationalandeducationalpurposesonly.Ourwebsiteisnotintendedtobeasubstituteforprofessionalmedicaladvice,diagnosis,ortreatment.©SimplyScholarLtd-AllrightsreservedRelatedArticlesAttachmentTheory JohnBowlby StrangeSituation HodgesandTizard GenieCaseStudyreportthisad reportthisadxx