Imprinting
Irreversible learning that happens at a specific time of an animal’s life, like identifying their mother at birth
Real World Example
Imagine you're at a massive outdoor concert, trying to find your friends among a sea of people. Just as you rely on that specific shirt your friend was wearing to identify them in the crowd, animals use imprinting to recognize their mother immediately after birth. Both situations involve a critical window of time where you must focus on a distinct feature to successfully make a connection — your friend's shirt for you, and a mother's characteristics for the animal. In both cases, this initial recognition becomes ingrained and hard to change, ensuring that you aren't lost in the music or, for the animal, separated from the mother.
