Question

Read the following passage and answer the following question.
A group of 10 newly hatched chicks was separated into two smaller groups containing five chicks each. One group (Group A) was left with the mother hen, the other group (Group B) was taken shortly after hatching and kept with a mother goose. The chicks in Group A displayed normal behavior and followed the mother hen around. The chicks in Group B followed the mother goose around and exhibited goose like behavior, such as swimming. After one week, Group B was reunited with the mother hen, but ignored her, and instead continued to follow the mother goose around the barnyard.
The behaviour exhibited by the chicks in Group B is

• A. Imprinting
• B. Instinct
• C. Insight
• D. Habituation
• E. Conditioning

Answer 1

The correct option is A Imprinting

A form of learning that occurs during a brief genetically determined critical period shortly after birth is called as imprinting. Instinct is an inborn behaviour characteristic to a species and is often a response to specific environmental stimuli. Conditioning is also a learned response in which stimulus becomes associated with a consequence. Habituation is the most complicated form of learned behavior and includes applying something already learned to a new situation without a period of trial and error. Reasoning is making concept about cause and effect in particular context. Because the chicks learnt to follow mother goose and mother hen just after birth; it is imprinting.

Thus, the correct answer is option (A).