imprinting

American  

[im-prin-ting] / ɪmˈprɪn tɪŋ /

noun

Animal Behavior, Psychology.

1. rapid learning that occurs during a brief receptive period, typically soon after birth or hatching, and establishes a long-lasting behavioral response to a specific individual or object, as attachment to parent, offspring, or site.

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imprinting British  

/ ɪmˈprɪntɪŋ /

noun

1. the development through exceptionally fast learning in young animals of recognition of and attraction to members of their own species or to surrogates

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imprinting Scientific  

/ ĭm′prĭn′tĭng /

1. A rapid learning process by which a newborn or very young animal establishes a behavior pattern of recognition and attraction towards other animals of its own kind, as well as to specific individuals of its species, such as its parents, or to a substitute for these. Ducklings, for example, will imprint upon and follow the first large moving object they observe. In nature, this is usually their mother, but they can be made to imprint upon other moving objects, such as a soccer ball.

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Etymology

Origin of imprinting

1937; imprint + -ing ¹, translation of German Prägung, K. Lorenz's term

Example Sentences

If there’s another cub in California, the agency may try to pair them up to keep them from imprinting on people, according to the release.

From Los Angeles Times

Howe immediately set about imprinting his methods at Newcastle.

From BBC

Thus, fathers have an important, albeit indirect, influence on the genetic imprinting of mitochondria and thereby on the energy metabolism of their children.

From Science Daily

By studying mice with heart failure, the researchers found evidence of stress imprinting on the epigenome, that is, chemical changes occurred to the mice's DNA.

From Science Daily

In the case of the flu vaccine, imprinting has negative effects.

From Science Daily