The concept of natural selection was first formulated by Charles Darwin. Ethology is primarily concerned with the adaptive, or survival, value of behavior and its evolutionary history (Hinde, 1992).
Two European zoologists, Konrad Lorenz (1952) and Niko Tinbergen (1973) have made observations on animal species in their natural habitat. They discovered a type of learning that is different from Skinner (operant conditioning), Thorndike (trial-and-error learning), and Pavlov (classical conditioning).
Young goslings followed Lorenz everywhere as he was the first moving object they saw when they were hatched. This concept, known as imprinting, refers to inborn responses or tendencies displayed by newborn when they are exposed to certain stimuli in their environment. This unlearned behavior ensures that they will stay with or follow their parents instead of wandering off into the predator’s territories. Imprinting occurs best during the first few hours after hatching, namely the critical, or sensitive, period. They are prewired to be socially attached to their parents for support as newborns have yet to acquire any survival skills.
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