Standard behavioral procedures developed for the study of vertebrate learning will be used to assess the cognitive abilities of the invertebrate, Aplysia californica. A systematic documentation of the mental competence of this preparation will provide a basis for an accurate evaluation of this species as a model system for the analysis of the neurobiological basis of learning in more complex systems. The discovery of the dynamic properties of the processes involved in the acquisition and retention of information may also serve to guide neuroscientists in their search for the biological basis of learning and memory.
