ABSTRACT
If behavior is to be used to throw light on the nervous system, it is important to have a model that effectively summarizes the behavior we hope to explain. Although it is possible to quibble about the terminology, natural selection may be regarded as the first, and most basic learning mechanism. Almost all the marvelously adaptive behavior of arthropods, and much of that seen in vertebrates, is acquired by random genetic variability and selection. The ability of individuals to augment their innate capabilities as a result of personal experience is a bonus. It is clear that we must try to understand the behavior of the basic automaton before speculating on how it is modified by individual learning (Vanderwolf, 1998; Vanderwolf & Cain, 1994).
