Behavioral and Neural Plasticity

By Michael M. Nikoletseas

Harvard University Libraries. Written by a first-generation "grandson" of B. F. Skinner and a direct descendant of German scientists that shaped American Psychology (Hermann von Helmholtz and Wilhelm Max Wundt), this book is unique in that it maintains a philosophical / historical perspective, while at the same time giving the inside story of Behaviorism and providing insights on basic concepts in Psychology in light of new developments in neurophysiology and molecular neuroscience.

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Behavioral and Neural Plasticity by Michael M. Nikoletseas:

Behavioral and Neural Plasticity is a rigorous and intellectually adventurous introduction to the science of learning, memory, and brain change. Blending neuroscience, psychology, and philosophy of science, this book treats learning not as a collection of experiments but as a biological and epistemological problem.

Originally developed from university lectures, the text guides readers from the historical roots of behavioral theory to the cellular and molecular mechanisms of neural plasticity. Habituation, sensitization, Pavlovian conditioning, operant learning, and the plasticity of innate behavior are examined in depth, with special emphasis on how behavioral change reflects lawful changes in the nervous system.

Rather than offering a superficial survey, Nikoletseas presents learning as a unified scientific enterprise-where behavior, neurons, and molecules form a continuous explanatory chain. Complex ideas are illustrated with clear conceptual models, experimental paradigms, and accessible discussions of classic and modern research, including work inspired by Nobel Prize-winning studies on simple nervous systems.

This book challenges conventional psychological thinking by questioning loose operational definitions and emphasizing biological mechanisms over verbal abstractions. It is designed not only to inform but to train the reader's scientific intuition: how to think about behavior, how to analyze experiments, and how to recognize the limits of explanation.

Ideal for:

students of psychology, neuroscience, and biology

instructors seeking a concept-driven learning text

readers interested in how experience reshapes the brain

scientists who want a return to first principles

Behavioral and Neural Plasticity is not merely a textbook-it is an argument for a natural science of behavior grounded in physiology, evolution, and disciplined reasoning.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1453789456
• ISBN13: 9781453789452
• Release Date: August 2010
• Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
• Length: 198 Pages
• Weight: 0.78 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 7.0" x 10.0"