Introduction: Biological constraints on learning

Abstract

This introduction presents a special issue on biological constraints on learning. The special issue includes a number of papers about various conceptual, methodological, empirical, and theoretical aspects of this important topic. The papers are summarized here after a brief historical and conceptual outline. The introduction ends with a discussion of some conceptual aspects of the topic. This special issue stemmed from a symposium on biological constraints on learning that was organized for the XVII Biennial Meeting of the International Society for Comparative Psychology in Bogotá, Colombia, September 2014. The symposium sought to revisit the topic of biological constraints on learning. Such is the aim of this special issue as well, guided by the conviction that the topic demands further study. Some of the most important researchers in the area were invited to contribute. Their acceptance indicates the topic's enduring importance.