Learning and Behavior

by James E. Mazur, Amy L Odum

Learning and Behavior reviews how people and animals learn and how their behaviors are changed because of learning. It describes the most important principles, theories, controversies, and experiments that pertain to learning and behavior that are applicable to diverse species and different learning situations. Both classic studies and recent trends and developments are explored, providing a comprehensive survey of the field. Although the behavioral approach is emphasized, many cognitive theories are covered as well, along with a chapter on comparative cognition. Real-world examples and analogies make the concepts and theories more concrete and relevant to students. In addition, most chapters provide examples of how the principles covered have been employed in applied and clinical behavior analysis.



The text proceeds from the simple to the complex. The initial chapters introduce the behavioral, cognitive, and neurophysiological approaches to learning. Later chapters give extensive coverage of classical conditioning and operant conditioning, beginning with basic concepts and findings and moving to theoretical questions and current issues. Other chapters examine the topics of reinforcement schedules, avoidance and punishment, stimulus control and concept learning, observational learning and motor skills, comparative cognition, and choice.

Thoroughly updated, each chapter features many new studies and references that reflect recent developments in the field. Learning objectives, bold-faced key terms, practice quizzes, a chapter summary, review questions, and a glossary are included. The text is intended for undergraduate or graduate courses in psychology of learning, (human) learning, introduction to learning, learning processes, animal behavior, (principles of) learning and behavior, conditioning and learning, learning and motivation, experimental analysis of behavior, behaviorism, and behavior analysis.

Genres: Psychology, Textbooks, Nonfiction, Science, School

364 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1990

Reviews

[Karen Machin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative book and lots of good information on learning and behavior. While the content is excellent, it is not clear what the current accepted understanding is. This book presents lots of historical information and alternative theories which are important but it’s difficult to determine what the take away message is at times.

[Wesley Malvini · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative

[mylittlebooktavern · Rating 4 out of 5]

Required for psych class. Love psychology and have a passion for it but dear lord this book tested me. Never felt more like an idiot.

[João Lopes · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a psychology student, this book was a required reading for my Psychology of Learning class, and I must confess, that I've only been able to read 10 of the 13 chapters of the book (although I'll probably finish reading in the near future).

In my opinion, this work should be in every respected Behaviorist's bookshelf. As you read (and as I hope you will), you notice how much effort and diligence the author put in it's work. Every chapter aims to provide an extensive and detailed contemporary and historic literature about a major topic of Learning and Behavior in 25 pages or so, which, from my perspective, is done exquisitely well. It always starts with simpler concepts and theories, developing naturally to more complex ones without leaving the reader behind. One particular point I appreciated from this reading, was the care than went into serve the reader with contemporary practical applications in almost every relevant issue.

However, the reason my rating for this book isn't higher, rests on the fact that I've been reading the 7th edition (from 2014). This simple predicament made me not enjoy it so much, simply because some of the topics that I found more compelling, where partially outdated, forcing me to find the most recent literature on the topic. Obviously, for this reason, two more editions were completed and published to date (December 2023) which, unfortunately, are quite expensive for a student.

All in all, I commend the author for the excellent work, and I hope to get a newer edition on me every chance i get.

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Up until this year, I used this book as the text in my learning class and found it pretty good.

[Shaibusafalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

****

[Nataša · Rating 3 out of 5]

Procitana poglavlja stavljena na MudRi, ne bas sve (ali vecina).