Laboratory of Learning and Behavioral Microbiology
The research in this laboratory is directed toward basic areas in the discipline,
such as reinforcement and conditioned reinforcement; the
effect of response effort
on learning; conflict and frustration; and
the investigation of learning in both
rats and primitive, simple organisms (paramecia). A word (or more than one) about
the last of these. I have been
long intrigued by the question of the generality of
learning. While
the little research that has been done does
not support the possibility
of learning in certain non-animals (plants)*, there has been some indication that
other non-animals may be
capable of learning. To this end, my students and I have
carried out
a number of studies that have shown that paramecia, one-celled
organisms
without a nervous system, can learn. We are currently
trying to determine how similar
this learning is to the learning exhibited by more typical research subjects. Be warned,
however, if
you are interested in this, that it is a tedious and often frustrating
research area.
For more information please check out my webpage. Also, feel free to e-mail me with questions or comments at harvard.armus@utoledo.edu
If you are interested in joining the Learning & Behavioral Microbiology Lab (either
as an undergraduate or graduate student), it is often helpful to send me an e-mail,
to let me know of your interest. To apply to the graduate program, send your graduate application to the Experimental Psychology Program, indicating your interest in Dr. Armus and
the Learning Lab. The deadline for applications is January 15.
*Note: I did explore this a long time ago, using Mimosa plants. The positive results that were found were, unfortunately, the result of error in procedure, but I still think that this might be a worthwhile area to investigate further.