Flickering stimuli presentation in imprinting

Abstract Imprinting, the process of forming lasting social bonds with early encountered stimuli, has been the subject of extensive research. However, there is still a need to systematically study the optimal methods for displaying imprinting stimuli in laboratory settings. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of different virtual presentation methods for imprinting stimuli and their impact on the memory of chicks. In the first experiment, we examined the attractiveness of various flickering frequencies, comparing them to static and translatory motion stimuli. The results revealed that flickering frequencies between 0.5 and 5 Hz were particularly appealing to newly hatched chicks, while higher frequencies (10–40 Hz) were less effective. We observed no significant differences in attractiveness between low flickering frequencies, moving stimuli, and static stimuli. In the second experiment, the focus shifted to the development of imprinting preference and memory. We found no significant difference in terms of preference for the imprinting stimulus between chicks imprinted with translatory motion or static stimuli. However, imprinting with flickering stimuli produced varied preferences. Chicks imprinted with a 2 Hz flickering stimulus exhibited a preference for the imprinting stimulus, albeit weaker than those imprinted with moving stimuli, while chicks imprinted with a 1 Hz flickering stimulus did not show a preference. These findings suggest that imprinting with flickering frequencies is not as effective as imprinting with moving stimuli and, to a lesser extent, static stimuli. Future studies should aim to determine the most optimal low frequencies within the 0.5–5 Hz range and explore different motion types. Overall, this research enhances our understanding of imprinting and provides valuable insights into virtual stimulation methods, thus informing the design of experiments in virtual environments.