Conflict, Displacement, Learned Drives and Theory

Neal Edgar Miller, an American psychologist, produced the first demonstration of trial-and-error learning caused by electrical stimulation of the brain. He also studied the motivational effects of chemical brain stimulation, as well as the effects of instrumental learning on visceral responses and the possible role of such learning in normal homeostasis, disease, and therapy. Miller was educated at the University of Washington, Stanford University, and Yale University. He later joined the faculty of Rockefeller University and collaborated with John Dollard of Yale University to research the role of imitation in learning. The two investigators' experiments led them to relate learning to such psychological problems as conflict, displacement of aggression, and emotional stress.

Miller has served as president of the American Psychological Association and the Society for Neuroscience. He has received the APA Gold Medal Award for scientific accomplishments and the National Medal of Science.

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