James Olds (30 de mayo de 1922 – 21 de agosto de 1976) fue un psicólogo estadounidense, considerado uno de los fundadores de la neurociencia moderna. Tiene en su haber el descubrimiento de los centros cerebrales de placer junto con Peter Milner en 1954.^[1]​^[2]​^[3]​ Recibió numerosas distinciones a lo largo de su vida, entre ellas la membresía de la Academia Nacional de Ciencias y el premio Newcomb Cleveland de la Asociación Estadounidense para el Avance de la Ciencia.

• Olds, J., y P. Milner (1954). "Positive reinforcement produced by electrical stimulation of septal area and other regions of rat brain". Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology 47:419–27.
• Olds, J. (1955). "'Reward' from brain stimulation in the rat". Science 122:878.
• Olds, J. (1956). The growth and structure of motives; psychological studies in the theory of action The Free Press.
• Olds, J. (1956). "Runway and maze behavior controlled by basomedial forebrain stimulation in the rat." Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology, 49:507–12.
• Olds, J., K. F. Killiam y P. Bach-Y-Rita (1956) "Self-stimulation of the brain used as a screening method for tranquilizing drugs." Science 124:265–66.
• Olds, J. (1956). "Pleasure center in the brain." Scientific American 195: 105–16.
• Olds, J. (1958). "Self-stimulation of the brain." Science 127:315–24.
• Olds, J., y M. E. Olds. (1958) "Positive reinforcement produced by stimulating hypothalamus with iproniazid and other compounds." Science 127:1175–76.
• Olds, J. (1965). "Operant conditioning of single unit responses". Proc. 23rd Congr. Physiological Sciences. Excerpta Med. Int. Congr. Ser. no. 87, 372–80.
• Olds, J. (1967). "The limbic system and behavioural reinforcement." Progress in Brain Research. 27:144–64.
• Olds. J. (1969) "The central nervous system and the reinforcement of behaviour". American Psychologist. 24:114–32.
• Olds, J. y Hirano, T. (1969). "Conditioned responses of hippocampal and other neurons." Electroencephalogr. clin. Neurophysiol. 26:159–66.
• Olds, J. y Best, P. J. (1969). "Single unit patterns during anticipatory behaviour". Electroencephalogr. clin. Neurophysiol. 26:144–58.
• Olds, J., Disterhoft, J. F., Segal, M., Kornblith, C. L. y Hirsh, R. (1972). "Learning centres of rat brain mapped by measuring latencies of conditioned unit responses". Journal of Neurophysiology. 35:202–19.
• Drives and reinforcements. Raven Books ISBN 0-89004-087-7 (1977)