ABSTRACT
In this chapter, we approach learning as a secondary phenomenon, subordinate to the first requirement of adaptive behavior, which is how to regulate actions (i.e., behaviors) to meet the demands of the environment. Although the distinction may be considered purely semantic and needless, we argue that this distinction is critically important. The purpose of this distinction is to address the basic mechanisms of adaptive behavior and frame learning within an organismic framework, wherein all “cognitive” processes are understood to arise from motivational control of action. Moreover, the framework permits us to draw upon constructs that are applicable to animals as well as humans, demonstrating the basic organization of brain function.
