Learning: A Very Short IntroductionWhat is learning? How does it take place? What happens when it goes wrong? The topic of learning has been central to the development of the science of psychology since its inception. Without learning there can be no memory, no language and no intelligence. Indeed it is rather difficult to imagine a part of psychology, or neuroscience, that learning does not touch upon. In this Very Short Introduction Mark Haselgrove describes learning from the perspective of associative theories of classical and instrumental conditioning, and considers why these are the dominant, and best described analyses of learning in contemporary psychology. Tracing the origins of these theories, he discusses the techniques used to study learning in both animals and humans, and considers the importance of learning for animal behaviour and survival. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable. |
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acquired acquisition amphetamine animal’s associative learning associative theories B. F. Skinner blocking experiment budgerigars change in behaviour Chapter chemotherapy classical conditioning cognitive map colleagues company profits conditioned response conditioning experiment control group David deductive reasoning definition of learning demonstrator described drug addiction elicit environment example expected experiment conducted experimental group explanation extinction Figure food pellet form of learning goal-directed habituation happen heroin humans imitation instrumental conditioning irrelevant John Kamin’s experiment Klaus Dodds learned behaviour learned during learning lever press light maladaptive Michael mirror neurons nausea Nick Middleton noise observer monkeys organisms paired participants patients pecking people’s Perruchet Peter pigeons predictive predictor presented psychologists puff of air rats reinforcer relatively Rescorla Rescorla and Wagner’s reward run of trials schizophrenia shock showed social learning spatial navigation stage study of learning sucrose suggested test trials theories of learning things Thorndike Thorndike’s Tolman’s tone unconditioned stimulus