Learning: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)

What 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 behavior and survival.

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Mark Haselgrove is an Associate Professor in the School of Psychology at the University of Nottingham. He conducts research and teaches on the principles, mechanisms and applications of learning. Along with Lee Hogarth, he is the co-author of Clinical Applications of Learning Theory (Psychology Press, 2012)