“When someone hurts you emotionally, you will hurt them physically, and gradually you will learn not to hurt each other at all.”

—DR. MARVIN MONROE

As the variety of chapters in this volume illustrate, a psychological analysis of The Simpsons can take many forms in which each specialist shines his or her expertise on a different facet of this enduring and humorous television show. These different approaches should enable us not only to appreciate the psychological themes and phenomena that occur in each episode, but they may also enlighten us about the factors that have made the show so popular.

A basic goal of experimental psychology is to understand the behavior of living organisms. Unlike Mr. Burns’ hopes, the goal is not to predict the behavior of, or to control, an individual or society, but to have a broader understanding of the “laws of behavior.” To accomplish this goal, experimental psychologists often conduct controlled experiments in a lab setting, but if the situation does not permit such an analysis, careful observation in a naturalistic setting will suffice. In regard to the most basic behaviors that can be systematically observed, the ability to learn has been extensively studied over the past 100 years. At its most basic level, the ability to learn or to adapt to a changing environment is the foundation on which all other behaviors exist. If an organism cannot learn, it is doomed to repeat the same mistakes over and over again. Even a casual fan  …