In the context that a general systems approach to the development and maintenance of optimal learning conditions is a point of view rather than a doctrine, two empirical examples are given. To illustrate the desirability of the systems-like approach in studying the nature of learning, the organisms chosen were representative of two widely separate points on the phylogenetic scale. The first comes from a study done with the hooded rat and the second from research on human behavior. Finally, an illustration of a total systems approach is given by describing the development of an instructional model a priori to experimentation. (Author)