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Imprinting

Imprinting

Behavioral imprinting is observed in some newborn animals and occurs when they develop strong and specific attachments to another animal (usually a parent) following brief, early-life exposures. Offspring imprint onto parents within a brief period after birth or hatching; this time window is called the critical period. Once imprinting occurs, the bond established between the parents and their offspring is usually long-lasting.

Genomic Imprinting and Inheritance

Genomic Imprinting and Inheritance

Diploid organisms inherit genetic material through chromosomes from both parents. Copies of the same gene are known as alleles. In most cases, both alleles are simultaneously expressed and allow various cellular processes to function optimally. If one of the alleles is missing or mutated, the expression of the other allele can compensate; however, this is not true for all genes.
The expression of some genes depends on which parent passed the gene to the offspring, through a phenomenon known as...

The Quantum-Mechanical Model of an Atom

The Quantum-Mechanical Model of an Atom

Shortly after de Broglie published his ideas that the electron in a hydrogen atom could be better thought of as being a circular standing wave instead of a particle moving in quantized circular orbits, Erwin Schrödinger extended de Broglie’s work by deriving what is now known as the Schrödinger equation. When Schrödinger applied his equation to hydrogen-like atoms, he was able to reproduce Bohr’s expression for the energy and, thus, the Rydberg formula governing hydrogen spectra.

Neural Regulation

Neural Regulation

Digestion begins with a cephalic phase that prepares the digestive system to receive food. When our brain processes visual or olfactory information about food, it triggers impulses in the cranial nerves innervating the salivary glands and stomach to prepare for food.

What is Behavior?

What is Behavior?

Behaviors are actions that an organism engages in—they can be related to finding food, reproducing, defending against threats, and many other possible actions. Behaviors include activities related to the environment around the animal—such as migration—as well as social interactions within a species or population. Many behaviors involve motor output—that is, muscle movements—while others involve less visible actions, such as learning.

Reaction Mechanisms

Reaction Mechanisms

Chemical reactions often occur in a stepwise fashion, involving two or more distinct reactions taking place in a sequence. A balanced equation indicates the reacting species and the product species, but it reveals no details about how the reaction occurs at the molecular level. The reaction mechanism (or reaction path) provides details regarding the precise, step-by-step process by which a reaction occurs.
For instance, the decomposition of ozone appears to follow a mechanism with two steps:

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 23, 2026

Multiscale Structures Aggregated by Imprinted Nanofibers for Functional Surfaces

Multiscale Structures Aggregated by Imprinted Nanofibers for Functional Surfaces

Published on: September 11, 2018

Visual Imprinting in Birds: Behavior, Models, and Neural Mechanisms.

Brian J McCabe¹

¹Sub-Department of Animal Behaviour, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.

Frontiers in Physiology

|June 25, 2019

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Filial imprinting in birds forms social bonds through a sensitive period of learning. This process, studied in chicks, reveals neural mechanisms underlying attachment, memory, and perception.

Keywords:

domestic chick learning memory neural networks perceptual learning recognition

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Area of Science:

Ethology
Neuroscience
Developmental Psychology

Background:

Filial imprinting is a crucial social attachment process in precocial birds.
Young animals form bonds with objects, typically parents, during a sensitive developmental period.
This attachment influences survival and social cohesion.

Purpose of the Study:

To explore the behavioral characteristics and predispositions of filial imprinting.
To review theoretical models explaining imprinting behavior.
To present physiological findings on the neural mechanisms of imprinting.

Main Methods:

Behavioral observations in precocial birds, particularly domestic chicks.
Development and analysis of theoretical models of imprinting.
Neurophysiological studies to identify underlying neural substrates.

Main Results:

Imprinting involves learning stimulus characteristics and subsequent recognition/approach.
Behavioral predispositions interact with learning in bond formation and modification.
Memory of imprinting stimuli aids social recognition and perceptual classification.

Conclusions:

Studies in domestic chicks have elucidated key aspects of imprinting's neural basis.
Interdisciplinary approaches enhance understanding of imprinting mechanisms.
Filial imprinting research provides insights into learning, memory, and perception.