Imprinting, Psychological (also known as Imprintings, Psychological, Psychological Imprinting): A particular kind of learning characterized by occurrence in very early life, rapidity of acquisition, and relative insusceptibility to forgetting or extinction. Imprinted behavior includes most (or all) behavior commonly ca

NIH MeSH · D007173Psychiatry and Psychology

Imprinting, Psychological

Also known asImprintings, Psychological · Psychological Imprinting · Psychological Imprintings · Imprinting (Psychology) · Imprintings (Psychology) · Imprinting, Psychology · Imprintings, Psychology · Psychology Imprinting · Psychology Imprintings

Definition

A particular kind of learning characterized by occurrence in very early life, rapidity of acquisition, and relative insusceptibility to forgetting or extinction. Imprinted behavior includes most (or all) behavior commonly called instinctive, but imprinting is used purely descriptively.

MeSH classification

  • F02.463.425.448

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Related concepts

Association

A functional relationship between psychological phenomena of such nature that the presence of one tends to evoke the other; also, the proces…

Association Learning

The principle that items experienced together enter into a connection, so that one tends to reinstate the other.

Automatism

Automatic, mechanical, and apparently undirected behavior which is outside of conscious control.

Avoidance Learning

A response to a cue that is instrumental in avoiding a noxious experience.

Conditioning, Classical

Learning that takes place when a conditioned stimulus is paired with an unconditioned stimulus.

Conditioning, Eyelid

Reflex closure of the eyelid occurring as a result of classical conditioning.

Conditioning, Operant

Learning situations in which the sequence responses of the subject are instrumental in producing reinforcement. When the correct response oc…

Conditioning, Psychological

Simple form of learning involving the formation, strengthening, or weakening of an association between a stimulus and a response.

Common questions about Imprinting, Psychological

What does Imprinting, Psychological mean in medicine?
A particular kind of learning characterized by occurrence in very early life, rapidity of acquisition, and relative insusceptibility to forgetting or extinction. Imprinted behavior includes most (or all) behavior commonly called instinctive, but imprinting is used purely descriptively. This definition is taken from the National Library of Medicine's MeSH (Medical Subject Headings) 2026 release, which is the standard vocabulary used to index PubMed and most medical literature.
Is Imprinting, Psychological known by any other names?
Yes. Imprinting, Psychological is also referred to as Imprintings, Psychological, Psychological Imprinting, Psychological Imprintings, Imprinting (Psychology) in different clinical, research and patient-facing contexts. The MeSH descriptor groups all of these synonyms under a single canonical concept so research and records stay consistent.
Where does Imprinting, Psychological sit in the medical classification?
Imprinting, Psychological falls under the broader medical category "Psychiatry and Psychology" in the MeSH hierarchy (tree numbers: F02.463.425.448). Browsing the related concepts on this page takes you to neighbouring topics in the same branch of medicine.
Where can I get a plain-language explanation of Imprinting, Psychological?
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Source: NIH MeSH 2026 (D007173) — National Library of Medicine, public domain. View official MeSH record ↗