Adaptive Behavior and Learning

Every day at about 4:30, Jazz, a Hungarian Vizsla dog, leaps up on the sofa and looks out for his owner who always comes home at 5:00. He doesn't need an internal clock because he has an acute sense of smell that allows him to measure how long his master has been absent. Explaining complex behavior in simple ways, this book is a fascinating exploration of the evolution, development and processes of learning in animals. Now in its second edition, there is increased emphasis on development, evolution and dynamics; new accounts of taxic orientation, reflex induction, habituation and operant learning in organisms; more discussion of spatial learning and the processes underlying it; expanded chapters on choice and completely new chapters on molar laws, classical conditioning theories and comparative cognition. J. E. R. Staddon provides a definitive summary of contemporary theoretical understanding suitable for graduates and advanced undergraduates. -Provides an integrative review of the principles of operant conditioning and related processes -Shows the essential common features of phenomena from habituation to memory -Finds simple ways to explain complex behavior, including mathematics - technical but accessible Title Page......Page 3 Copyright......Page 4 Contents......Page 5 Preface to the second edition......Page 13 Acknowledgments......Page 16 1. The evolution, development, and modification of behavior......Page 18 2. Variation and selection: kineses......Page 41 3. Reflexes......Page 55 4. Direct orientation and feedback......Page 84 5. Operant behavior......Page 119 6. Reward and punishment......Page 152 7. Feeding regulation: a model motivational system......Page 192 8. The optimal allocation of behavior......Page 222 9. Choice: dynamics and decision rules......Page 259 10. Foraging and behavioral ecology......Page 304 11. Stimulus control and cognition......Page 330 12. Stimulus control and performance......Page 362 13. Molar laws......Page 394 14. Time and memory, I......Page 415 15. Time and memory, II......Page 438 16. Template learning......Page 462 17. Learning, I......Page 474 18. Models of classical conditioning......Page 503 19. Learning, II......Page 518 20. Learning, III: procedures......Page 549 21. Comparative cognition......Page 580 Index......Page 596 Every day at about 4:30, Jazz, a Hungarian Vizsla dog, leaps up on the sofa and looks out for his owner who always comes home at 5:00. He doesn't need an internal clock because he has an acute sense of smell that allows him to measure how long his master has been absent. Explaining complex behaviour in simple ways, this book is a fascinating exploration of the evolution, development and processes of learning in animals A fascinating exploration of the evolution, development and processes of learning in animals. J. E. R. Staddon provides a definitive summary of contemporary theoretical understanding. The second edition features new accounts of several phenomena; expanded chapters on choice behavior; and new chapters on classical conditioning theories and comparative cognition.