The latent learning it is a form of knowledge acquisition that is not directly expressed in an immediate response. It occurs without the intermediation of a conditioning process, without there being a reinforcement of any kind for the learner; and often occurs without the individual's conscience intervening.
Latent learning was discovered by psychologist Edward C. Tolman, in his experiments with rats. His findings served to challenge the behaviorist theory that prevailed until now, which proposed that all learning had to be necessarily caused by the existence of reinforcements and punishments..
This type of learning is not easy to observe, since it does not manifest itself in the form of behavior until there is a sufficient level of motivation. In many cases, the term can be exchanged for observational learning, with the difference that the observed behavior does not have to be reinforced for the subject to internalize it..
Latent learning is present above all in our daily lives, although it can also be used in more controlled environments, as is the case with Tolman's experiments. In this article we tell you exactly what it consists of.
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Although the possibility of a latent learning process was not his, Edward Tolman was the first to verify it through an experiment. Due to this, he is generally considered the father of this theory, and his study is the basis of most current learning models.
In 1930, when this study was conducted, the mainstream in psychology was behaviorism. This theory defended that any learning takes place due to the existence of a series of reinforcements and punishments, without involving any mental process of the individual; and that therefore it was absurd to study the mind.
Against this thought, Tolman believed that both humans and animals are capable of learning without the need for any kind of reinforcement, in a passive way. To demonstrate this, he designed an experiment with rats whose results allowed him to create his theory of latent learning.
In their famous experiment, Tolman and Honzik designed a maze in which they introduced several specimens of rats to investigate the latent learning processes in these animals..
Their goal was to show that rats can make decisions about where to move based on their knowledge of their environment..
Until then, it was believed that rats only moved through the mazes by trial and error, being able to learn a specific route only if they were given a reinforcement (such as a little food). With their experiment, Tolman and Honzik tried to show that this was not true.
To do this, they made three groups of rats, who had to find their way out of a rather complex maze. At the end of the maze, there was a box with food.
Depending on the group to which they belonged, the animals were allowed to eat always, never, or only from the tenth time they managed to reach the exit.
The results of the experiment showed that the rats that were only reinforced from the tenth time through the maze managed to reach the food much faster from that moment. Thus, it was found that they had managed to learn the layout of the labyrinth even without giving them a prize, which was demonstrated by Tolman's theory.
What was most interesting, however, was that the rats only began to rush through the maze when they discovered that there was food at the end. Previously, despite having internalized the journey, they did not have the motivation to do the journey quickly.
To explain the results of his experiments, Tolman coined the term "cognitive map", which refers to the internal representation of an environment that an individual has.
He believed that both animals and people were capable of memorizing a series of signals from the environment in order to memorize it and build a mental image of it.
Thus, using this cognitive map, an organism can move through it more easily than someone who does not know it. However, this learning will not be obvious until the person or animal is motivated enough to show it..
For example, a child whose father takes to school every day on the same path may have internalized the route without realizing it; but he will not show this knowledge until the day he has to do the tour by himself.
Despite having been studied for the first time in the context of navigating familiar terrain, latent learning can occur in many different settings..
The most recent research in this regard has shown that it is a very common process in both children and adults, responsible for many of our behaviors.
For example, today we know that it is possible for us to acquire simple knowledge or skills just by watching another person perform an action. A child watching his mother prepare an omelette can memorize the steps necessary to make it himself, even if this learning does not manifest itself at first..
How is latent learning different from observational learning? The key is in the necessity that exists in the second type of a reinforcement or punishment to the observed behavior so that the acquisition of the knowledge takes place.
For example, we would be facing a case of observational learning if a child observes that a teacher shouts for his students to shut up and achieves the desired effect; toddler internalizes the message that aggressiveness provides positive results, and will be more likely to use this strategy in the future.
In contrast, when latent learning occurs, it is not necessary for the behavior to produce a specific positive or negative effect. In this way, this process of acquiring knowledge is the most unconscious of all that can occur..
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