OBSERVATIONAL-LEARNING OF IMPRINTING BEHAVIOR IN JAPANESE-QUAIL (COTURNIX-COTURNIX-JAPONICA)

We investigated observational learning of imprinting behavior in Japanese quail. Restrained quail chicks observed a moving light or another chick following the moving light. Both kinds of experience led to following behavior in tests. Observer chicks followed better if they saw an imprinter chick following. However, imprinter chicks followed better in tests if no observer was present during training. Social contextual differences between training and testing viewed as interfering with a retrieval process could not account for the performance difference. Observational learning may compensate for individual differences in imprintability to promote clutch unity at exodus from the nest.