Why do newborn animals reach out to their mother and their brethren, following them? And why does the mother recognize and feed only her cub, ignoring others? These questions were answered by K.T. Lorentz, who studied the behavior of birds and introduced a concept such as imprinting.
What is imprinting?
In ethology and psychology this term is called a specific form of learning in animals, in which innate behavioral acts are fixed in their memory. Imprinting - this is translated from English "imprints". Thanks to him immediately after the birth of a cub attached to his mother, remembers the distinctive features of representatives of the opposite sex of his kind, which subsequently determines the success of courtship and mating.
Imprinting is possible only for a certain period, very limited in time. It is also called a critical or sensitized period. In the future, the result of the imprint is almost impossible to correct. So, if we excommunicate the newly born kid from the mother for 2 hours, she will stop recognizing it and refuses to feed. The chicks begin to recognize the mother, while still in the egg. They remember the quacking of a duck and after the destruction of the shell they run to this voice.
Imprinting in Psychology
The peculiarities of this psychophysiological mechanism are similar in both animals and humans. Imprinting in psychology is the fixation of certain information in memory. It occurs in critical periods of life, when the brain is the most sensitive and receptive to the new. In this case, only one meeting with the object of imprints is enough to form a special behavior. Any reinforcement for this - food, emotional or otherwise is not required. The result is extremely stable and remains until the end of life.
Imprinting as a special kind of learning
There are several types of impressions that are peculiar to a person:
- Oral. The infant perceives the mother's breast not only as a source of nutrition, but also as a safety zone. Near the mother's breast, he feels comfortable and protected and this need is inherent in him initially.
- Imprinting as a teaching can be geographically-emotional. From the very birth the baby learns the environment and captures its properties. He specially marks his space, beginning with the choice of his favorite place, and then the room, the house, the region, etc.
- Verbal , consisting in the memorization of sounds and symbols. What is imprinting in psychology is easy to understand in this example, because in the future the child uses the information received for communication.
- Social or sociopolitical .
Social Imprinting
This term is understood as a type of imprint, in which there is a fixation on basic values, which are ethnic, inter-sex and other stereotypes. In special moments or situations, people show strong openness and receptivity. Imprinting in humans is that during communication, it so completely absorbs information that it starts involuntarily to imitate the interlocutor, trying to be like him.
Later, under the influence of this factor, the attitude towards peers and the family, the issue of choosing a life partner, religion, etc. is formed. Such a property of the human psyche was used in marketing. It builds all the advertising that encourages consumers to buy one or another product, convincing them that "they are worthy of it." Particularly impressionable people should look at things more critically and do not trust everyone indiscriminately, do not let them use themselves for mercenary purposes.
Myths about imprinting
Many scientists express the idea that dependence on certain information in memory can be changed. Whether this is really true is unknown, because the phenomenon of imprinting has not been fully understood. In the future, it is planned to use knowledge about imprinting for the common good and the benefit of a particular person. It will be possible to develop the necessary thinking in the shortest possible time, instantly learn something, correct the reaction to the error, failure or refusal.