ABSTRACT
Research on learning has for historical reasons been divided mainly into behaviorally oriented studies performed on animals and more cognitively oriented studies in humans (Anderson, 2000). Accordingly, studies aimed at the presumed neurophysiological basis of learning have either exploited the full range of cognitive-phenomenological approaches in humans while being methodologically confined mainly to non-invasive imaging techniques, or alternatively, have made use of the better accessibility of the animal nervous system physiology while being restricted in the definition and analysis of the cognitive aspects involved. Consequently, our physiological understanding of learning processes is best for simple behaviors that can be studied in suited animal models (e.g., Kandel, 2001) but declines for cognitively more demanding aspects of learning.
