Other Behavioral Paradigms

Overview

To this point, we have concentrated much of our discussion concerning experimental methods on the use of the classical conditioning paradigm, specifically, classical eyeblink conditioning. We have pointed out in previous chapters that due to the high degree of stimulus control and the relative ease of recording responses, the classical conditioning of skeletal muscle responses has proven extremely useful for studying brain-behavior relationships. It is important to note, however, that there are a number of other behavioral paradigms that have been used to successfully study how the brain encodes learning and memory. This is especially true as relatively inexpensive, high-speed computers have become available for controlling the delivery of stimuli and recording behavioral responses. In this chapter, we review some of these other behavioral paradigms.