Filial imprinting typically results in attachment to which of the following?

• A. A food source
• B. A nesting site
• C. A particular adult or object
• D. A color cue

Answer: (C)

Filial imprinting is an early, rapid learning process where a newborn animal forms a social bond with the first suitable object it encounters, usually its caregiver. This creates an attachment to a particular adult or object, which the young will follow and rely on for protection and guidance. The attachment isn’t to a food source or a nesting site because those cues don’t establish the social partnership that imprinting aims to secure. While color cues can influence recognition in some cases, the lasting bond is specifically to the caregiver or to an object functioning as that caregiver. So the resulting attachment is to a particular adult or object.