Contingency (in Learning)

Mowrer and Klein have long been making contributions to the field of contemporary learning theories. Their first two-volume set included chapters authored by many of the leading researchers in the field of animal learning and focused primarily on Pavlovian theory and instrumental conditioning. These impartial texts were an important addition to the field and remain widely cited. Over the last decade research on the nature of the learning process has evolved considerably. The research in this new volume represents the cutting-edge contributions of first rate authors and co-authors. These 14 chapters deal with the theoretical perspectives concerning the nature of the learning process, as well as the innovative research that supports these positions. This text is bound to be invaluable to both students and faculty of psychology and related disciplines, as well as to outside scholars. Key features include: * an introductory chapter describing general theories of learning and the causes of the shift to more specific, contemporary theories; * five chapters detailing the research and theories of the nature of Pavlovian Conditioning; * four chapters dealing with the current thinking and research on the nature of instrumental operant conditioning; * three chapters describing the link between learning and physiology; and * a concluding chapter detailing the application of learning theory to abnormal psychology.

The editor and authors of this book present a synthesis of work on human associative learning, tracing some of its historical roots but concentrating mainly on recent developments. It is divided into three sections: an introduction to the recent data and controversies in the study of human associative learning; recent developments in the formal theories of how associative learning occurs; and applied work on human associative learning, particularly its application to depression and to the development of preferences. The book is designed to be accessible to undergraduates, providing a clear illustration of how principles most commonly introduced in animal cognition courses are relevant to the contemporary study of human cognition.