Abstract

Neural Mechanisms of Goal-Directed Behavior and Learning provides information pertinent to the neuronal mechanisms of motivation and learning. This book focuses on the theoretical frameworks within which researchers analyze specific problems.
Organized into six parts encompassing 39 chapters, this book begins with an overview of the problem of goal-directed behavior that occupies a central position in psychology. This text then examines the behavioral investigations that are directed at delineating the role of contiguity and determining the possible mechanisms of reinforcement in classical defense and reward conditioning. Other chapters consider the homeostatic regulation of various functions, such as nutrition, temperature, respiration, blood pressure, and fluid and electrolyte balance. This book discusses as well the effects of experimental treatments on memory. The final chapter deals with the relationship between perception and memory.
This book is a valuable resource for psychologists and scientists. Graduate students in behavioral neuroscience will also find this book useful.