Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 3, 2026

A Community-based Stress Management Program: Using Wearable Devices to Assess Whole Body Physiological Responses in Non-laboratory Settings
Published on: January 22, 2018
Learning and the wisdom of the body
1Department of Psychology, Neuroscience, and Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. siegel@mcmaster.ca
Abstract:
According to Spence, the learning researcher's task is to explain the relationship between experimental variables and behavior changes occurring with practice. Spence eschewed biological speculation. In contrast, for a biologist, "explanation" consists of ascertaining how the observed behavior increases reproductive success. Fundamental to achieving reproductive success is survival to sexual maturity, and such survival depends on homeostatic mechanisms attenuating the effects of physiological disturbances that threaten existence. Drugs are one way of disrupting homeostatic functioning, and studies of drug effects indicate that homeostatic mechanisms are engaged not just by pharmacological perturbations, but also by stimuli that signal such perturbations. Similarly, we attenuate the effects of a variety of nonpharmacological stimuli by such anticipatory homeostatic adjustments. The learning researcher is a homeostasis researcher.
Related Concept Videos
Introduction to Learning
In contrast to learned behaviors, unlearned behaviors such as crying, sexual...
Higher Mental Functions of Brain: Learning and Memory
Cognitive Learning
E. C. Tolman's theory of purposive behavior emphasizes that much behavior is goal-directed. He argued that to understand behavior, we must look at the entire sequence of actions leading to a goal. For instance, high school students study hard, not just due to past reinforcement but also to achieve the goal of getting into a good college.
Tolman introduced the idea that behavior is influenced by...
Understanding the Self
Major Somatic Sensory Pathways
Whole Body Regeneration
