ABSTRACT
Understanding of the neural processes that mediate learning and memory has been substantially advanced in recent years as a result of the model system research strategy pioneered by Richard F. Thompson. The fundamental idea of model systems is the investment of effort in analysis of a specific target behavior. Having as an experimental endpoint the neurological explanation of a specific target behavior provides clear direction for the design of programmatic experiments. The quintessential application of the model system strategy is the extensive analysis carried out by Dr. Thompson and colleagues concerning Pavlovian conditioning of the rabbit's nictitating membrane (NM) reflex (see other chapters, this volume; see also review by Thompson & Krupa, 1994).
