ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces the idea that many behaviors are acquired during one's lifetime as a result of experience. Theories of learning and behavior have ranged from philosophy to natural science. Human behavior has been attributed to a great variety of causes. The causes of behavior have been located both within and outside of people. An important aspect of human learning concerns the experiences arranged by other people. From earliest history, people have acted to influence the behavior of other individuals. Rational argument, rewards, bribes, threats, and force are used in attempts to promote learning or change the behavior of people. The experimental analysis of behavior is a natural-science approach to understanding behavior regulation. Experimental analysis is concerned with controlling and changing the factors that affect the behavior of humans and other animals. Behavior analysis is becoming more involved with the scientific analysis of the brain and nervous system or neuroscience.
