präglingsbeteende

Präglingsbeteende, often translated as imprinting behavior, is a form of learning that occurs at a particular stage in development in young animals. It is a rapid and irreversible type of learning where a young animal forms an association with a particular object or individual, usually its parent. This association is critical for survival, as it helps the young animal recognize and follow its caregiver.

The most well-known example of präglingsbeteende is seen in precocial birds, such as goslings and ducklings. Shortly after hatching, they will follow the first moving object they see, which is typically their mother. This following response ensures they stay with their protective parent and learn essential survival skills like finding food and avoiding predators. If a gosling hatches and sees a human first, it may imprint on the human and follow them instead of its actual mother.

This type of learning is usually restricted to a specific, short time window, known as a critical period. Outside of this period, imprinting is much less likely to occur, or may not occur at all. The nature of the imprinted object can be quite varied, and imprinting can occur not only towards parents but also towards mates or specific habitats later in life. The study of imprinting has been central to understanding the biological basis of learning and behavior, particularly in ethology, the scientific study of animal behavior.