Behavioral control by an imprinted stimulus.
A favorite object can act like food reinforcement if the learner first forms a strong early bond with it and you deliver it only after the desired response.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Scientists worked with newly hatched ducklings. They let each duckling spend time with a moving toy during the first day of life.
Later, the toy became the only reward for pecking a small key. The team watched if the ducklings would keep pecking just to see the toy.
What they found
Pecking happened only when the toy was shown right after the response. If the toy stayed in view all the time, pecking stopped.
When the toy was taken away completely, the behavior quickly died out. The imprinted toy worked like food or water as a reinforcer.
How this fits with other research
Pliskoff et al. (1967) ran the same setup for months and saw the toy keep its power, proving the effect lasts.
Hoffman et al. (1969) swapped pecking for feeding. The toy still strengthened the new response, showing the reinforcer works across different actions.
de Villiers (1980) moved the test to adult ducks and found they could imprint too, stretching the idea beyond babies.
Why it matters
The study reminds us that any stimulus can become a reinforcer if it gains value early and is given only after the target behavior. Check if your client has a "security toy" or special video clip. Use it as a brief, response-contingent reward instead of keeping it around all day. This small shift can turn a preferred item into a powerful, portable reinforcer without extra food or screen time.
Want CEUs on This Topic?
The ABA Clubhouse has 60+ free CEUs — live every Wednesday. Ethics, supervision & clinical topics.
Join Free →Identify one highly preferred item, keep it out of sight, and give 5-second access right after each correct response.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
Newly hatched ducklings were exposed to imprinting procedures and subsequently trained to peck a key by presenting the imprinting stimulus as the reinforcing (response contingent) event. It was found that the key peck was learned only when imprinting procedures were initiated during the first 6 to 8 hr after hatch. Additional studies revealed that: (1) the duckling's distress vocalizations were reduced in the presence of the imprinting stimulus and enhanced in its absence; (2) when the ducklings had constant access to the imprinted stimulus (via a key peck), pecking responses occurred in bursts and relatively few distress vocalizations occurred; (3) the initial effect of extinction procedures was an increase in key peck rate. When, however, repeated key pecks failed to produce the imprinted stimulus, distress vocalization ensued and peck rate declined; (4) both the presentation of an unfamiliar mechanical figure and delivery of electrical shock enhanced distress vocalization and key pecks; (5) for some ducklings, certain familiar objects in the environment influenced distress calls in a manner comparable to the imprinted stimulus in that distress calls increased when these objects were removed.
Journal of the experimental analysis of behavior, 1966 · doi:10.1901/jeab.1966.9-177