BCSSS

International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics

2nd Edition, as published by Charles François 2004 Presented by the Bertalanffy Center for the Study of Systems Science Vienna for public access.

About

The International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics was first edited and published by the system scientist Charles François in 1997. The online version that is provided here was based on the 2nd edition in 2004. It was uploaded and gifted to the center by ASC president Michael Lissack in 2019; the BCSSS purchased the rights for the re-publication of this volume in 200?. In 2018, the original editor expressed his wish to pass on the stewardship over the maintenance and further development of the encyclopedia to the Bertalanffy Center. In the future, the BCSSS seeks to further develop the encyclopedia by open collaboration within the systems sciences. Until the center has found and been able to implement an adequate technical solution for this, the static website is made accessible for the benefit of public scholarship and education.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z

IMPRINTING: 1)4)5)

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A learning or training process during the early life of an animal through which a specific behavior or behavioral pattern is acquired through imitation from a parent or other member of the social group.

The basic behavior of an animal becomes fixed normally by imitation of its pearents, or other members of the social group. Imprinting occurs only during a quite short critical period, during the early weeks or months of an animal.

This very general behavior has been observed and researched mainly by the Austrian Konrad LORENZ, and the Dutch Niko TINBERGEN, pioneers in ethology.

In this way, basic reactions, as for example escape from predators become deeply ingrained and automatic, which is a very important life-saving adaptation.

Ethology of imprinting, as a trans-generational process, opens interesting question marks on the possible existence of a wider, cultural type of imprinting in humans. Doubtless, a whole range of reactions and ways of behaving are learned during human infancy. and they seem to be different from one culture to another.

The human being is quite probably the most deeply and widely imprinted living being, as culture includes not only physiological behaviors, but also transmits attitudes and roles

The subject would deserve a deeper scrutiny by ethnologists and sociologists, as it seems to indicate general definitory rules for the establishment of implicitly well defined relationships, even in some cases in an automatic, if not coercitive way.

An interesting line somehow related to imprinting is J.L. MORENO's sociometry, including his sociograms.

Categories

  • 1) General information
  • 2) Methodology or model
  • 3) Epistemology, ontology and semantics
  • 4) Human sciences
  • 5) Discipline oriented

Publisher

Bertalanffy Center for the Study of Systems Science(2020).

To cite this page, please use the following information:

Bertalanffy Center for the Study of Systems Science (2020). Title of the entry. In Charles François (Ed.), International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics (2). Retrieved from www.systemspedia.org/[full/url]

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