Lesson 10: Lorenz (1935)

Question 1

What did Lorenz do?

Answer 1

He was an ethologist. Investigated imprinting

Question 2

What was Lorenz’s Procedure?

Answer 2

Divided Gosling eggs into 2 groups, one was left with mother and one was taken with him in incubator. When they hatched in incubator, they first saw Lorenz, and then marked them and put them all back with the mother.

Question 3

What were Lorenz’s findings?

Answer 3

The goslings quickly divided themselves up, incubator ones followed Lorenz. No recognition of mother. Critical period, they won’t imprint on anything (2 days). Lorenz found imprinting to be similar to attachment as its a special relationship. Lorenz had to teach goslings to swim and return when he called.

Question 4

What Long term effects did Lorenz find?

Answer 4

Imprinting is irreversible and long lasting. One of the goslings used to sleep in his bed every night. Sexual imprinting, birds will mate with the same kind of object they were imprinted onto

Question 5

Positives of Lorenz’s study

Answer 5

Gutton supports his study, as he found chickens exposed to yellow rubber gloves during feeding in their first few weeks were imprinted on them

Question 6

Negatives of Lorenz’s study

Answer 6

More reversible then Lorenz thought. After spending time with their own species, Gutton’s chickens who had tried to mate with the yellow rubber gloves engaged in normal sexual behaviour.