The Principles of Learning and Behavior [Hardcover]

Michael P. Domjan (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 053456156X | ISBN-13: 978-0534561567 | Publication Date: July 29, 2002 | Edition: 5

Known for its currency and clear writing style, this book provides a comprehensive and systematic introduction to elementary forms of learning that have been the focus of research for much of the twentieth century. The book covers habituation, classical conditioning, instrumental conditioning, stimulus control, aversive control, and their applications to the study of cognition and to the alleviation of behavior problems. Biological constraints on learning are integrated throughout the text, as are applications boxes that relate animal research to human learning and behavior. The book closely reflects the field of research it represents in terms of topics covered, theories discussed, and experimental paradigms described.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Michael Domjan is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin. Domjan specializes in various areas of learning including animal learning, biological constraints on learning, learning mechanisms in reproductive behavior, and comparative psychology. He has been recognized with the MERIT Award from the National Institutes of Mental Health (NIMH) (1993), the G. Stanley Hall Award from the American Psychological Association (APA) (1995), and election as President of the Division of Behavioral Neuroscience and Comparative Psychology of the APA (1999-2000). He is the recipients of 16 grants for research from the National Science Foundation, NIMH, and other agencies and has published more than 100 papers and presented in his area of specialization at more than 115 conventions.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 480 pages
• Publisher: Wadsworth Publishing; 5 edition (July 29, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 053456156X
• ISBN-13: 978-0534561567
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #90,003 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #76 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Behavioral Sciences > Behavioral Psychology

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent coverage of basic learning theory, October 4, 2006

By 

D. Jones (San Antonio, TX) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Principles of Learning and Behavior (Hardcover)

Let me start by saying I have used this text as required reading for several classes in Theories of Learning. I feel it is an excellent presentation of the basic concepts and groundwork needed to understand more complex theories and/or higher forms of learning. The physiological tie-ins are not central to the book, and if skipped it would not be detrimental to a complete understanding of the learning theory. My understanding is that this is the reason they are presented in boxed sidebars and not incorporated into the body of the text.
Admittedly the reading can be dense, and difficult to get through, but I feel this is because the subject matter is dense and complicated. One thing I have found with basic learning theory is that it is much like formal logic, with a cursory examination, many people feel it is straightforward and simple. But once one begins to deal with the `meat' of the subject, and attempts to understand the implications, exceptions, strengths and weaknesses of the topic, then the feeling of simplicity quickly disappears. It is at this point that one will find people either love the topic and want to know more, or they are put off and either blame their dislike for the topic on the presentation or the material itself. In case it is not obvious, I am one of the former types, and continue to enjoy the broader implications of learning theory, the rigor of the arguments involved and the breadth of explanatory power I see in this filed.
This leads me to one final point. I feel the author does an excellent job of relating the basic principals he discusses to real life examples. In particular the chapter on language provides an excellent source for class discussion, informed debate and application of the theoretical mechanisms presented in the first half of the book.

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Lacks depth and application, March 7, 2010

By 

K. Grant "henry_bellfry" (Lexington) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Principles of Learning and Behavior: Active Learning Edition (Sixth Edition) (Paperback)

I don't like to right "bad" reviews but my classmates and I are so frustrated I felt it was necessary. To begin, this book contains about the content of a semester of lecture notes. Often, the author will make a declarative statement then fail to explain (e.g., "X is/does y") or provide examples. The examples provided are often poor analogues or are too vague to clarify. The 4 or 5 questions at the end of each chapter require little or no synthesis of information (e.g., "how does theory x differ from theory y?" when 5 pages prior there is a section titled "how theory x differs from theory y"--which of course lacks content or "explain this definition" when the definition is listed on the same page). Because this is a college textbook, these questions should be meant to help students see the "bigger picture" and pull information together from the chapter not merely test rote memory. The author did a poor job applying the information to fields other than clinical psychology, when applications to cognitive, social and developmental were (often) obvious. Given the current direction of psychology, the author should have discussed potential neural mechanisms of many of the theories but these were rarely even mentioned. If you are a graduate student, you will be frustrated and occasionally confused by the lack of content. If you are an undergrad you will be confused and overwhelmed. The book reads like a term paper with a page limit--lots of filler, little content (e.g., the author includes pictures--approx. 1 on every page--of more prominent researchers, which has no purpose other than to fill space). The graphs/figures are poorly presented or simply aren't presented at all. I really don't know what the heck happened to those 400 pages.
If you are an instructor, don't use this book. If you are a student, buy something better to supplement your readings. I should add that these are the conclusions that my entire class had after reading the first chapter.

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Hard- but good, October 2, 2007

By 

W. Greene "Win Win" (New York, New York) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Principles of Learning and Behavior (Hardcover)

This is a book about learning. Psychology is not an easy subject, but the author does a good job. The concepts are a little hard to grasp but the author does a great job with a difficult subject.