Imprinting: what is this type of learning?
This concept appeared in the field of ethology, the study of animal behavior.
The term imprinting refers to a way of acquiring basic learning for the survival of a species. for the survival of a species. It is a phenomenon in which psychic, Biological and social processes converge.
Although it is a concept that has emerged through biological studies, it has been adapted in an important way to psychology and has provided different ways of understanding human development. Below we review what imprinting learning is all about, what its antecedents are and what applications it has in psychology today.
What is imprinting?
The word "imprint" can mean different things. It generally refers to a mark, imprint or reproduction of images on a relief. If we take from psychology and biology, the term "imprinting" is used to describe a learning set in a specific period of development in which a human being or an animal is more sensitive to certain stimuli.
In other words, an imprint is a learning that we have acquired by recognizing a certain stimulus. acquired by the recognition of a certain stimulus, at a certain stage of development.. The stimulus toward which our sensitivity is directed generally depends on the survival needs of the species.
For example, most imprinting involves learning to recognize parents or potential sexual partners. The study of this type of learning has developed significantly in ethology (the branch of biology (the branch of biology that studies animal behavior in its own habitat), especially observed in the behavior of birds.
Background: Konrad Lorenz and the family of geese.
The pioneer in this type of study was the American physician and zoologist Konrad Lorenz (1903-1989), considered one of the fathers of ethology. Lorenz studied the behavior of geese, and his knowledge has been applied to reproduce animal habitats where he has been able to the youngest birds to acquire survival skills, even if they are bred in captivity.even though they are bred in captivity.
In fact, he received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1973 for having described imprinting, and it was given to him because the judges considered that his studies could contribute significant knowledge to psychiatry. In other words, since the second half of the last century, imprinting has also been developed in the study of human behavior.
Types of imprinting in the study of behavior.
In both ethology and psychology, imprinting can occur in different ways and according to the characteristics of the species itself. Generally speaking, however, two types of imprinting are recognized, two types of imprinting are recognizedThe two types of imprinting are basic and necessary for the survival of any species: filial imprinting and sexual imprinting.
1. Filial imprinting
The concept of imprinting has been frequently applied in the attachment theory of psychology, and has thus been importantly related to filial relationships and how they are basic for survival.
The latter is known as a "filial imprint," and is an innate mechanism that is activated when a young animal mechanism that is activated when a young animal recognizes the characteristics of its parents.specifically from the mother, who is usually the first being observed at birth.
Filial imprinting has been observed in both birds and reptiles, and later in other species. From this it has been suggested that recognition and tracking of parents at an early age makes it possible that the offspring will move away from and protect themselves from predators.. It also facilitates the necessary learning to obtain the food, water and warmth initially provided by the parents.
For this, it is necessary to consider how the senses are structured and how they are connected with cognitive processes. In this sense, neuroscience and cognitive sciences have been particularly interested in the study of imprinting.
For example, it has been used in an important way to explain the phenomenon of memory through visual impressions.. Many of the theories of memory suggest that any given experience or event strengthens and shapes particular pathways in the brain, which may correspond to much of the theory of imprinting.
Sexual imprinting
This is the process by which an animal learns to recognize the characteristics of a desirable sexual partner. One of its effects is, for example, the tendency of living beings to relate to the beings of the species in which they were bred; those who have similar characteristics to those of the species in which they were bred.Those who have characteristics similar to those recognized by the filial imprint.
In the case of human beings, for example, the inverse effect of sexual imprinting has been studied when cohabitation occurs in the same domestic space. It is one of the ways to explain why it is often the case that siblings who have been raised together do not develop sexual attraction to each other; however, if they are raised separately, this may occur more easily.
This latter effect is known as the Westermarck Effect, after the anthropologist who developed it (Edvard Westermarck), and has been useful in analyzing how inbreeding has been suppressed among different human societies.
Bibliographical references:
- Horn, G. (2004). Pathways of the past: the imprint of memory. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 5: 108-120.
- New World Encyclopedia. (2018). Imprinting (psychology). Retrieved May 28, 2018. Available at http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Imprinting_(psychology).
- Squire, L. (2003). Fundamental Neuroscience. Academic Press: USA.
(Updated at Apr 12 / 2024)