When a group of young geese watch the first thing they see after being born in order to learn behaviors are?

This phenomenon is called imprinting. It's a fascinating process where baby geese, known as goslings, learn to recognize their mother and other important figures in their environment.

Here's how it works:

* Critical Period: There's a short, critical period after hatching where goslings are highly susceptible to imprinting. This period usually lasts only a few hours.

* The First Object: The first moving object that a gosling sees during this critical period will be imprinted upon. This doesn't have to be their actual mother. It could be a human, a dog, or even an inanimate object.

* Following Behavior: Once imprinted, the gosling will follow the imprinted object around, seeking protection and guidance.

* Learning Social Behaviors: This imprinting process also helps the gosling learn important social behaviors from the imprinted figure, such as foraging for food and avoiding predators.

The classic example:

The famous ethologist Konrad Lorenz demonstrated imprinting in geese. He hatched goslings in an incubator and was the first moving object they saw. The goslings imprinted on him and followed him around as if he were their mother, even though he was a human.

So, to answer your question:

When a group of young geese watch the first thing they see after being born, they are imprinting on it. This means they are learning to recognize and follow that object as a source of protection and guidance.