A term in ethology referring to a process similar to rapid learning or behavioral patterning that occurs at critical points in very early stages of animal development. The extent to which imprinting occurs in human development has not been established.
A rapid and irreversible form of learning that takes place in some animals during the first hours of life. Animals attach themselves in this way to members of their own species, but if they are exposed to creatures of a different species during this short period, they become attached to this species instead.
In the context of animal behaviour, this is a quick and irreversible type of learning in which patterns are imprinted on the animal’s mind during the first few hours of life. The smell and feel of its mother are one such imprint.
A mechanism by which a gene or a set of genes is rendered inactive or suppressed. The silencing of genes is determined by whether they are inherited through the egg or the sperm.