The model system of eyeblink classical conditioning in humans has enormous potential for the understanding and application of fundamental principles of learning. This collection makes classical conditioning accessible to teachers and researchers in a number of ways. The first aim is to present the latest developments in theory building. Second, as background for the current directions, Eyeblink Classical Conditioning, Volume I presents an overview of a large body of previously published research on eyeblink classical conditioning. Last, the authors describe eyeblink classical conditioning techniques. Each chapter includes a highlighted methods section so that interested readers can replicate techniques for teaching and research.
Classical conditioning of the nictitating membrane (NM) eyeblink response in rabbits is a useful model system for the study of the neurobiology of learning and memory. This paradigm that is so well described on a biological level has also been applied to studies of normal development over the life span and to instances of abnormal developmental phenomena. Eyeblink conditioning has been studied from molecular and neural network perspectives, and the paradigm is of demonstrated utility in elucidating mechanisms in physiology and pharmacology. This model system provides a behavioral paradigm in animals that has a close analog in human behavior. Perspectives of recent developments in human eyeblink classical conditioning research are presented in the companion volume to this book, Eyeblink Classical Conditioning: Applications in Humans.
The Encyclopedia of the Neuroscience explores all areas of the discipline in its focused entries on a wide variety of topics in neurology, neurosurgery, psychiatry and other related areas of neuroscience. Each article is written by an expert in that specific domain and peer reviewed by the advisory board before acceptance into the encyclopedia. Each article contains a glossary, introduction, a reference section, and cross-references to other related encyclopedia articles. Written at a level suitable for university undergraduates, the breadth and depth of coverage will appeal beyond undergraduates to professionals and academics in related fields.
As technology has made imaging of the brain noninvasive and inexpensive, nearly every psychologist in every subfield is using pictures of the brain to show biological connections to feelings and behavior. Handbook of Neuroscience for the Behavioral Sciences, Volume I provides psychologists and other behavioral scientists with a solid foundation in the increasingly critical field of neuroscience. Current and accessible, this volume provides the information they need to understand the new biological bases, research tools, and implications of brain and gene research as it relates to psychology.
Eyeblink classical conditioning (EBC) is a model paradigm for associative (also termed Pavlovian) learning, one of the simplest and best understood forms of learning and memory. Because EBC paradigms are readily adapted across species, the neural substrates of EBC have been well characterized, and include but are not limited to the cerebellum and anterior interpositus nucleus, the hippocampus, and prefrontal cortices. The ability to collect EBC data across many different species (i.e. including but not limited to humans) also has the distinct advantage of facilitating translational research, and therefore may be of particular benefit to elucidate mechanistic changes associated with a wide variety of psychiatric disorders. In fact, EBC paradigms have been employed to assess individuals with a wide range of neurological deficits (including Korsakoff’s amnesia, Alzheimer's disease as well as normal aging, dyslexia, inflammatory tremor, dystonia, and multiple sclerosis) and psychiatric disorders (including major depressive disorder, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, autism, and alcohol use/addiction disorders). Individuals with these disorders exhibit differential impairments across different EBC task types (e.g., delay vs. trace EBC), with some showing impairment in one but not the other task and some showing impairments in both; across learning stage (e.g., acquisition, discrimination, or extinction), and across response variables (e.g., magnitude and timing of the conditioned eyeblink motor response, modality of the conditioned stimulus). Evaluating specific individual differences in the context of variable brain pathology should aid characterization and refinement of our understanding of complex neuropsychiatric disorders. The field of psychiatry has seen a transition from more traditional use of symptom clusters to define psychiatric disorders with subsequent examination of associated behaviors and traits, to the use of physiological and behavioral indicators to characterize individuals with respect to various psychological domains [in line with the National Institute of Mental Health Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) initiative]. This approach employs a neuroscience-based framework to assess the pathophysiology of chronic mental illnesses. Behavioral and cognitive processes are critical domains of interest in evaluating potential maladaptive patterns that may be indicative of specific psychopathologies. Furthermore, the rapid development of technological advances that allow for more detailed examination (e.g., EEG, MEG, MRI, fMRI, infrared imaging) and manipulation (e.g. transcranial magnetic and direct current stimulation) of brain functions should enhance our ability to better characterize EBC performance and its utility in characterizing aspects of particular neuropathologies. Substantial research evidence exists for the value of EBC paradigms to inform our understanding of the pathophysiologies underlying a wide variety of neurological and psychiatric disorders. Despite these findings, this readily implemented classic cognitive-behavioral paradigm is relatively underutilized in clinical settings. This e-book highlights recent convergence of clinical and research efforts in this area and aims to promote a resurgent interest in eyeblink classical conditioning, and to emphasize the potential for future translational and diagnostic applications of EBC in combination with other techniques to strengthen our understanding of alterations in brain function manifested in behaviors characteristic of specific psychopathologies.
Psychological Clinical Science offers readers insightful appraisals of the most current theory and research in psychopathology and evidence-based intervention. It honors Richard McFall of Indiana University, a visionary psychological clinical scientist widely recognized for his unwavering advocacy for a science of clinical psychology and for
This important reference and text brings together leading neuroscientists to describe approaches to the study of memory. Among major approaches covered are lesions; electrophysiology; single-unit recording; pharmacology; and molecular genetics. Chapters are organized into three sections, presenting state-of-the-art studies of memory in humans, nonhuman primates, and rodents and birds. Each chapter explicates the theoretical and methodological underpinnings of the authors' research program, reviews the latest empirical findings, and identifies salient directions for future investigation. Included are more than 50 illustrations.
Includes established theories and cutting-edge developments. Presents the work of an international group of experts. Presents the nature, origin, implications, an future course of major unresolved issues in the area.
The Oxford Handbook of Developmental Behavioral Neuroscience is a seminal reference work in the burgeoning field of developmental behavioral neuroscience, which has emerged in recent years as an important sister discipline to developmental psychobiology. This handbook, part of the Oxford Library of Neuroscience, provides an introduction to recent advances in research at the intersection of developmental science and behavioral neuroscience, while emphasizing the central research perspectives of developmental psychobiology. Contributors to the Oxford Handbook of Developmental Behavioral Neuroscience are drawn from a variety of fields, including developmental psychobiology, neuroscience, comparative psychology, and evolutionary biology, demonstrating the opportunities to advance our understanding of behavioral and neural development through enhanced interactions among parallel disciplines.In a field ripe for collaboration and integration, the Oxford Handbook of Developmental Behavioral Neuroscience provides an unprecedented overview of conceptual and methodological issues pertaining to comparative and developmental neuroscience that can serve as a roadmap for researchers and a textbook for educators. Its broad reach will spur new insights and compel new collaborations in this rapidly growing field.
