Understanding:
• Learned behaviour develops as a result of experience
• Learning is the acquisition of skills or knowledge
Learned behaviour is not developmentally fixed and can be modified by experience
- Learned behaviour shows significant variation as it is influenced by environmental context
Learning involves acquiring information from past experiences to adapt to new situations
- The capacity to learn particular skills may be influenced by genes, but will not develop without appropriate experiences
- Learning improves an organism’s survival prospects as they can modify their responses to changing environmental conditions
Innate versus Learned Behaviours
Understanding:
• Imprinting is learning occurring at a particular life stage and is independent of the consequences of behaviour
Imprinting is any kind of phase-sensitive learning that is rapid and independent of behavioural consequences
- Imprinting occurs during a short critical period in which the organism adopts behavioural characteristics from a stimulus
- Imprinted behaviour is not influenced by consequences – it does not require reinforcement to develop
Examples of imprinting include filial imprinting (bonding to a parent) and sexual imprinting (developing sexual preferences)
- Filial imprinting was demonstrated by Konrad Lorenz, who imprinted baby geese to recognise him as a parental figure
Filial Imprinting