Abstract
SHORTLY after hatching, domestic chicks will respond socially to a wide range of moving or conspicuous objects. As a result of ‘imprinting’, their social behaviour is increasingly limited to objects with which they have had visual experience. In general, the longer that chicks have been exposed to an object, the more strongly they prefer it when given a choice between it and something else1–5. Some evidence, however, suggests that in the early stages of imprinting, the trend towards a highly restricted preference is temporarily reversed and some birds may even prefer the unfamiliar object6,7.
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JACKSON, P., BATESON, P. Imprinting and exploration of slight novelty in chicks. Nature 251, 609–610 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1038/251609a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/251609a0
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