imprinting

n. a simple yet profound and highly effective learning process that occurs during a critical period in the life of some animals. It was first described in 1873 by British naturalist Douglas A. Spalding (1840–1877) when he observed that newly hatched chicks tended to follow the first moving object, human or animal, that caught their attention. The term itself was introduced by Konrad Lorenz in 1937. Some investigators believe that such processes are instinctual; others regard them as a form of preparedness.

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Psychology term of the day

May 3rd 2024

optic flow

in the retinal image of the eye, the pattern and velocity of observed visual information about the motion of objects in an external scene relative to the motion of the observer. Optical flow patterns play an important role in locomotion; in the orientation, coordination, and balance of the body moving in space, and in the perception of movement in the outside environment. Also called optical flow. See also ecological perception. [first investigated by James J. Gibson]