Amidst intense discussions among researchers in animal learning about the decline of behavioralism and rise of cognitivism, Gallistel (Rutgers U.) and Gibbon (Columbia U.) argue that the two approaches complement each other. Cognitive theorizing they say, is essential for an understanding the phenomena revealed by conditioning experiments, and conditional phenomena offer such a strong empirical foundation for a rigorous brand of cognitive psychology that the study of animal learning should reclaim a more central place in the field of psychology. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
The goal of this book is to persuade students of animal learning that cognitive theorizing is essential for an understanding of the phenomena revealed by conditioning experiments. The authors also hope to persuade the cognitive psychology community that conditioning phenomena offer such a strong empirical foundation for a rigorous brand of cognitive psychology that the study of animal learning should reclaim a more central place in the field of psychology.
