© 1983 by The Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology
Optimal Foraging Theory and the Psychology of Learning1
Departments of Psychology and Zoology, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Massachusetts 01003
The development of optimization theory has made important contributions to the study of animal behavior. But the optimization approach needs to be integrated with other methods of ethology and psychology. For example, the ability to learn is an important component of efficient foraging behavior in many species, and the psychology of animal learning could contribute substantially to testing and extending the predictions of optimal foraging theory.