Contact: Maridith Geuder
Students at schools ranging from Columbia and Duke universities to the universities of Florida and South Carolina are using a Mississippi State University-authored textbook to learn more about how humans learn.
Titled "Learning: Principles and Applications," the McGraw-Hill publication, written by psychology professor and department head Stephen B. Klein, now is in its fourth edition. Highly regarded for its academic rigor and accessible presentation of material, the book has been taught at several hundred universities around the nation since its original publication in 1987.
Included in the recently released 2001 edition are both classic and current studies of animal and human learning research. "Psychologists continue to uncover new information about topics such as the conditioning of immune system suppression, repressed memories, language in primates, and others," Klein explained. "My book highlights key discoveries in new areas of research."
Among chapter topics in "Learning" are behavior theory, the influence of instinct on learning, environmental impact on behavior, biological processes that influence learning, and memory processes.
"One of the goals of the new edition is to promote students' understanding of the learning process and help them see its relevance to their everyday lives," Klein said. A custom web site for students includes a guide to electronic research, Internet resources and exercises, key terms, and practice quizzes.
Klein also is the author of a 1982 McGraw-Hill text, "Motivation: Biosocial Approaches," and a 2000 text, "Biological Psychology," published by Prentice-Hall. He is co-editor of "Contemporary Learning Theories" and "Handbook of Contemporary Learning Theories," both published by Lawrence Erlbaum.
Head of psychology at MSU since 1990, Klein also has taught at Old Dominion University and Fort Hays State University. He holds a doctorate from Rutgers University.