Prenatal auditory imprinting in chickens

Science. 1967 Mar 31;155(3770):1692-3. doi: 10.1126/science.155.3770.1692.

Abstract

A batch of eggs was exposed to a patterned sound continuously from day 12 to day 18 of incubation, while a control group was hatched in the quiet. In a postnatal test all chicks tended to creep toward a stationary sound source, but the experimental group showed a preference for the sound heard during incubation. In a second test the experimental chicks followed a moving model longer when it emitted the familiar sound than when it emitted a novel sound or no sound at all.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Auditory Perception
  • Chick Embryo
  • Hearing*
  • Imprinting, Psychological*
  • Perception*