Nearly every organism exhibits some type of learning to survive in its environment. Indeed, the ability to adapt to the environment is often the key to determining which organisms survive and pass on their genes to future generations. Hence the evolutionary perspective that we studied in Chapter 1 views learning as an adaptive behavior that underlies natural selection and promotes the survival of the fittest.
We have already examined the physical structures (Chapter 2) and sensory and perceptual processes (Chapters 3) we use to interact with our environment. Some responses to environmental stimuli, such as reflexively blinking in response to a puff of air, are very brief in duration and never enter our consciousness. In other instances it is important to be aware of the consequences of our interactions with our environment. For example, we need to remember the painful consequences of touching a hot stove. Similarly, once a field rat has found a way into a farmer’s corn crib, it is important for the rat to remember how to return to this food source on later occasions. These longer-lasting effects of interaction with the environment are the subject of this chapter and the next. They are what we mean when we speak of learning. In this chapter we discuss basic forms of learning; more complex forms of human learning and memory are discussed in Chapter 7.
Basic Principles of Learning
