Learning

Emphasizing research findings and basic concepts rather than theories, this book surveys the major areas in the psychology of learning from a consistent behaviorist (i.e., B.F. Skinner) point of view. Explores the continuities between human learning and the learning of other animals. The book organizes the phenomena of learning in a systematic way, moving from Behavior Without Learning (evolution) to Learning Without Words (basics in nonhuman behavior and learning) to Learning With Words (human learning and memory).

Emphasizing research findings rather than just learning theories, this comprehensive survey of the major areas of the psychology of learning provides a balanced treatment of animal learning and conditioning with human learning and memory -- ranging from instinctive behavior and reflexes to problem solving and cognition. It uses experimental data to illustrate the relevance of basic principles to important human concepts, e.g., language, memory, self-awareness, freedom of choice, and self control. Reorganized, the text moves from Behavior Without Learning (what exists before learning) to Learning Without Words (learning that does not depend on language) to Learning With Words (learning that depends on language).