Scientist Lorenz (1935) studied the imprinting mechanism, where certain animal species form attachments to the first large moving object they encounter.
This process demonstrates that attachment is innate and genetically determined.
He collected a batch of goose eggs and kept them hidden until near hatching. Half were placed under a mother goose, while Lorenz personally incubated the other half, ensuring he was the first moving object the goslings saw after hatching. When the eggs hatched, Lorenz imitated a mother duck's calls, causing the hatchlings to follow him as their mother. The other group followed the mother goose.
1. Attachment is innate and genetically controlled
Lorenz found that geese would follow the first moving object they saw. This process, called imprinting, shows attachment is innate and genetically controlled.
Lorenz believed imprinting, once formed, is irreversible - goslings cannot imprint on other objects.
To confirm imprinting, Lorenz placed all goslings under an overturned box to mix them. When removed, the groups separated to find their respective "mothers" - half to the goose, half to Lorenz.
2. During critical developmental periods, young animals imprint on any moving object
Later, Guiton (1966) demonstrated with chicks that a yellow rubber glove used to feed them during the critical period became an imprinting object.
This shows that during key developmental periods, young animals imprint on any moving object. These chicks later attempted to mate with the yellow rubber glove.
This largely confirmed Lorenz's findings by showing the study's long-term effects - this irreversible change influences social and sexual behavior, known as sexual imprinting.
3. Imprinting is irreversible once formed
After hatching, imprinting doesn't activate immediately, though there's a critical period for its formation.
Hess (1958) showed while imprinting can occur 1 hour post-hatching, the strongest response happens between 12-17 hours. After 32 hours, imprinting becomes impossible.
Both Lorenz and Hess concluded imprinting, once formed, is irreversible, and goslings cannot imprint on other objects.
