AP BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Behavioral imprinting is observed in some newborn animals and occurs when they develop strong and specific attachments to another animal (usually a parent) following brief, early-life exposures. Offspring imprint onto parents within a brief period after birth or hatching; this time window is called the critical period.

Detailed explanation-2: -Imprinting refers to a critical period of time early in an animal’s life when it forms attachments and develops a concept of its own identity. Birds and mammals are born with a pre-programmed drive to imprint onto their mother.

Detailed explanation-3: -Imprinting: The process by which certain animals form attachments during a critical period very early in life.

Detailed explanation-4: -Imprinting is a crucial factor of the critical period because it facilitates the newborn’s abilities to form bonds with other individuals, from infancy to adulthood.

Detailed explanation-5: -Filial imprinting. The best-known form of imprinting is filial imprinting, in which a young animal narrows its social preferences to an object (typically a parent) as a result of exposure to that object. It is most obvious in nidifugous birds, which imprint on their parents and then follow them around.