The idea that imprinting is an instinct or a computer program has been dismissed as too simplistic. Gilbert Gottlieb looked at the auditory aspects of imprinting and figured out how to prevent chicks from vocalizing inside their eggs. He found they were more likely to be attracted to maternal calls if they heard them than if they didn't.
How do animals know how to do things like spin a web or build a dam? A neuroscientist argues it's not “instinct.” Something bigger is going on.
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