Experiential paradigm wherein an organism is brought up from arrival or from the time that the eyes open under circumstances that limit its optical experience. May lead to lasting alterations in the design and performance of its optical system. To illustrate, monocular rearing decreases the quantity of neurons in the striate cortex which are responsive to binocular stimulus, and changes the design of the ocular columns; rearing with prism goggles which limit the orientations which are observable can modify the alignment selectivity of neurons and the orientation columns in the striate cortex.
SELECTIVE REARING: “Selective rearing often affects changes in the reared offspring.”