Bolhuis J J
University of Cambridge, Department of Zoology, England.
Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc. 1991 Nov;66(4):303-45. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-185x.1991.tb01145.x.
Filial imprinting is the process through which early social preferences become restricted to a particular object or class of objects. Evidence is presented showing that filial preferences are formed not only as a result of learning through exposure to an object, but also under the influence of visual and auditory predispositions. The development of these predispositions is dependent upon certain non-specific experience. There is little evidence for an endogenously affected sensitive period for imprinting. It is more likely that the end of sensitivity is a result of the imprinting process itself. Similarly, it is now firmly established that filial and sexual preferences are reversible. Evidence suggests, however, that the first stimulus to which the young animal is exposed may exert a greater influence on filial preferences than subsequent stimuli. The learning process of imprinting is often regarded as being different from conventional associative learning. However, the imprinting object itself can function as a reinforcer. Recent studies have attempted to test predictions from an interpretation of filial imprinting as a form of associative learning. The first results suggest that 'blocking' may occur in imprinting, whilst there is no evidence for 'overshadowing'. Social interactions with siblings and parent(-surrogates) have been shown to affect the formation of filial and sexual preferences. The influence of these interactions is particularly prominent in sexual imprinting, making earlier claims about naïve species-specific biases unlikely. Although auditory stimuli play an important role in the formation of social attachments, there is little evidence for auditory imprinting per se. Auditory preferences formed as a result of mere (pre- or postnatal) exposure are relatively weak and short-lasting. Exposure to visual stimuli during auditory training significantly improves auditory learning, possibly through a process of reinforcement. It is becoming increasingly clear that filial and sexual imprinting are two different (although perhaps analogous) processes. Different mechanisms are likely to underlie the two processes, although there is evidence to suggest that the same brain region is involved in recognition of familiar stimuli in both filial and sexual imprinting. There is little evidence for a direct role of hormones in the learning process of imprinting. Androgen metabolism may be a factor constraining the development of a predisposition in the chick. Research into the neural mechanism of filial imprinting in the chick has revealed that a restricted part of the forebrain (IMHV) is likely to be a site of memory storage.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
亲子印记是早期社会偏好局限于特定对象或对象类别的过程。有证据表明，亲子偏好不仅是通过接触某个对象进行学习的结果，还受到视觉和听觉倾向的影响。这些倾向的发展取决于某些非特定的经历。几乎没有证据表明印记存在内源性影响的敏感期。更有可能的是，敏感性的结束是印记过程本身的结果。同样，现在已经确定亲子偏好和性偏好是可逆的。然而，有证据表明，幼小动物接触到的第一个刺激对亲子偏好的影响可能比后续刺激更大。印记的学习过程通常被认为与传统的联想学习不同。然而，印记对象本身可以起到强化物的作用。最近的研究试图检验将亲子印记解释为一种联想学习形式所做出的预测。初步结果表明，印记中可能会出现“阻断”现象，而没有“遮蔽”的证据。与兄弟姐妹和父母（替代者）的社会互动已被证明会影响亲子偏好和性偏好的形成。这些互动的影响在性印记中尤为突出，这使得早期关于天真的物种特异性偏见的说法不太可能成立。虽然听觉刺激在社会依恋的形成中起着重要作用，但几乎没有证据表明存在听觉印记本身。仅仅（产前或产后）接触所形成的听觉偏好相对较弱且持续时间较短。在听觉训练期间接触视觉刺激可显著改善听觉学习，这可能是通过强化过程实现的。越来越明显的是，亲子印记和性印记是两个不同（尽管可能类似）的过程。这两个过程可能有不同的机制，尽管有证据表明在亲子印记和性印记中，同一脑区参与对熟悉刺激的识别。几乎没有证据表明激素在印记学习过程中起直接作用。雄激素代谢可能是限制雏鸡倾向发展的一个因素。对雏鸡亲子印记神经机制的研究表明，前脑的一个受限部分（IMHV）可能是记忆存储的部位。（摘要截选至400字）
