Latent learning define

What Is Latent Learning? Examples and Concept

Subconsciously picking up information for use later in life is a process known as latent learning.

Let’s say you’re walking down a road for the first time. You notice tall bushes obscuring a busy intersection but think nothing of it. Next time you drive your car down the same road, you immediately slow down and become alert anticipating poor visibility at the intersection. This is thanks to latent learning.

Latent learning, also known as incidental learning, is a passive type of cognitive learning. It involves no immediate reward or punishment after you’re exposed to new information.

Cognitive refers to mental processes and functions such as thinking, recalling information, and reasoning.

The concept of latent learning was developed in 1929 by Hugh C. Blodgett, who described it in laboratory rodents as they gradually improved the way they navigated their way through mazes.

Even in the absence of an immediate food reward, rats were able to gain insights into their environment, helping them progress through the maze.

In 2021, Maya Zhe Wang and Benjamin Hayden theorized that curiosity, or the desire to gather information, is the main motivation behind latent learning. This leads learners to build cognitive maps about their environments.

What are cognitive maps?

Cognitive maps refer to plots or charts you keep in your mind that represent your environment. They’re your awareness of the world you move through. Knowing where your bathroom or the principal’s office is, comes from a cognitive map you built of your home and your school.

Edward Tolman expanded on latent learning in the 1940s by introducing the concept of cognitive mapping. Like Blodgett, Tolman also experimented with rodent maze tests.

The concept of cognitive mapping was used to explain how rats were still able to navigate mazes under new circumstances.

For example, rats could adjust their movements to another successful path of travel if the primary one was suddenly blocked. This implied the rats had a working knowledge of the entire maze, not just knowledge of the most used or most immediate route.

The observation formed the core concept of cognitive mapping: the ability to use latent learning as a way of creating large-scale environmental awareness.

One of the main differences between latent and observational learning is the presence of reinforcement in the latter one.

The concept of observational learning is a part of social learning theory pioneered by Albert Bandura, who suggested one way you learn behaviors, attitudes, and thought processes is through observing and imitating others.

How someone reacts to your behavior (the reinforcement they give you) is a part of observational learning and can dictate if you decide to repeat that behavior or try something else.

If you observe your mom getting angry when you eat with your fingers, for example, you may learn eating that way is undesirable.

Latent learning, on the other hand, can occur in the absence of others and without reinforcement — positive or negative.

With latent learning, you may not even realize you’ve acquired knowledge in the moment. You may observe something but don’t realize you could use that information later on. When you do, you may not realize when or where you learned it.

You may use latent learning in all areas of life.

At home

Putting away cleaning supplies in your new home you realize the water valve is in the way. Months later when a pipe breaks, you know the water valve is in the closet where the cleaning supplies are kept.

At work

Working in a multi-level office, the conference rooms are on the second floor. You always take the elevators but today, they’re not working. You take the stairs to the right of the hall because you know they lead to the room you need to go to.

At school

During science class, you sit next to a wooden shelf full of textbooks. When your personal book gets damaged later in the year, you immediately check the shelf where you know there’s a row of science textbooks.

Latent learning is often subconscious, unintentional learning that has no immediate use, reward, or deterrent. It’s a process your brain uses to perceive and map out the environments around you.

Information gathered through latent learning may not be used for weeks, months, or even years, but it may be readily available when needed.

What Is Latent Learning? Examples and Concept

Subconsciously picking up information for use later in life is a process known as latent learning.

Latent learning, also known as incidental learning, is a passive type of cognitive learning. It involves no immediate reward or punishment after you’re exposed to new information.

Cognitive refers to mental processes and functions such as thinking, recalling information, and reasoning.

The concept of latent learning was developed in 1929 by Hugh C. Blodgett, who described it in laboratory rodents as they gradually improved the way they navigated their way through mazes.

Even in the absence of an immediate food reward, rats were able to gain insights into their environment, helping them progress through the maze.

What are cognitive maps?

Edward Tolman expanded on latent learning in the 1940s by introducing the concept of cognitive mapping. Like Blodgett, Tolman also experimented with rodent maze tests.

The concept of cognitive mapping was used to explain how rats were still able to navigate mazes under new circumstances.

The observation formed the core concept of cognitive mapping: the ability to use latent learning as a way of creating large-scale environmental awareness.

One of the main differences between latent and observational learning is the presence of reinforcement in the latter one.

How someone reacts to your behavior (the reinforcement they give you) is a part of observational learning and can dictate if you decide to repeat that behavior or try something else.

If you observe your mom getting angry when you eat with your fingers, for example, you may learn eating that way is undesirable.

Latent learning, on the other hand, can occur in the absence of others and without reinforcement — positive or negative.

You may use latent learning in all areas of life.

At home

At work

At school

Latent learning is often subconscious, unintentional learning that has no immediate use, reward, or deterrent. It’s a process your brain uses to perceive and map out the environments around you.

Information gathered through latent learning may not be used for weeks, months, or even years, but it may be readily available when needed.

LATENT LEARNING. Theoretical foundations of training

LATENT LEARNING

For the first time, the phenomenon of latent (hidden, implicit) learning was discovered in laboratory conditions on rats that examined the maze without any reinforcement. It turned out that in the future, a rat with such experience learns to go through the maze faster and with fewer errors. It was concluded that in the process of examining the labyrinth, the animal acquires certain experience, which is then used in the organization of purposeful behavior. nine0003

Latent learning also includes learning that does not correspond to the leading motivation. So, a hungry but not thirsty rat was trained to go through a T-shaped maze, in which one of the corridors leads to food, and the other to water. It turned out that if the same rat subsequently becomes thirsty, then it will begin to choose a corridor with water. This means that the learning process went on even in the absence of appropriate motivation.

The biological significance of latent learning lies in the fact that thanks to it, information is accumulated about the properties of the external world, its image, or the development of motor reactions as possibly necessary for building behavior in the future. Latent learning is not passive, it is based on the need for new information, which manifests itself in the form of exploratory behavior and is characterized as curiosity. The need for new information, ultimately, provides the possibility of the development of the organism, ensuring its future. nine0003

As in negative learning, in latent learning the leading role is played by the orienting reaction to stimuli, images and situations, especially its research component. But the mechanism lies in the formation of causal relationships between indifferent stimuli. The formation of an associative connection can occur between stimuli of different modality, and this is reinforced by the unconditional reflex component of the subsequent stimulus. From a psychological point of view, reinforcement in latent learning is the satisfaction of the need for new information. nine0003

W. Thorp (1975) defines latent learning as "the formation of an association between indifferent stimuli or situations in the absence of overt reinforcement."

That is, in the process of latent learning, the combination of several sensory stimuli leads to the formation of a temporary connection, which is referred to as sensory-sensory associations. In the case of a combination in the future of one of the sensory stimuli with a biologically significant reinforcement, a stable conditioned reflex reaction will quickly arise. nine0003

According to modern concepts (J. Godefroy, 1992), latent learning refers to cognitive learning, that is, learning associated with mental, intellectual processes in animals. And we should not just talk about the associative connection between some two situations or between the situation and the response of the organism, but about the assessment of this situation, taking into account past experience and its possible consequences. It is assumed that during latent learning in the central nervous system, a kind of map of the environment is formed with a determination of the possible significance of its components for the animal. nine0003

Thus, a dog on any walk, in any situation, like you and me, by the way, is not indifferent to the situation and situation and to what he is doing at that moment - he remembers everything. He remembers, so that later, at the right time, to use his experience and knowledge. It's hard to accept, for example, I was amazed when, throwing a stick over a low shed, I saw that my dog was not going to jump onto its roof in order to jump from it to the stick. My shepherd without hesitation ran around the low building and returned satisfied with a stick, and he ran to the right and returned to the left. nine0003

The value of latent learning in upbringing and training is to familiarize the animal with those stimulus situations (environment, stimuli, their natural connections between themselves and motor reactions), in which he will have to master special skills and work. This greatly facilitates the process of forming the desired behavior. And if you unobtrusively, but repeatedly repeat something, you can even master it to a skill, and without using food and other motivations. Then you only need to come up with a command for this action. nine0003

Chapter 5 Learning

Chapter 5 We cannot think of a better praise for a man than to say that he is gifted by nature. M. Montaigne (1533–1592), French philosopher The individual adaptive activity of animals is realized in the course of ontogenesis in the process of learning. This area is

nine0022 5.2. Non-associative learning

5.2. non-associative learning If learning is due to the action of environmental factors and does not require the coincidence (association) of external signals with a certain activity of the organism, it can be called non-associative. It is considered to be the most primitive form of learning,

5.3. Associative learning

5.3. Associative learning Associative learning (conditioning) is the process of formation of conditioned reflexes. For some authors, it has become synonymous with learning in general, being the basis of all the diversity of this phenomenon. Does the process of formation of conditional

5.7. Cognitive learning

5.7. cognitive learning Cognitive learning represents perhaps the most indefinite area with the most blurred boundaries. In general, it can be defined as the ability to urgently create behavioral programs by identifying patterns

Learning and insight

nine0002 Learning and insight Releasers Releasers are signals that trigger instinctive responses in animals. There are a lot of releasers. Let's consider some of them. The classic object of laboratory research of ethologists is the stickleback.

NEGATIVE LEARNING

NEGATIVE LEARNING Negative learning or habituation is a decrease in the severity or absence of behavioral responses to repeated or long-acting stimuli that do not have serious consequences and do not carry at the moment

LEARNING BASED ON THE FORMATION OF INSTRUMENTAL CONDITIONED REFLEXES (OPERATOR LEARNING)

LEARNING BASED ON FORMATION OF INSTRUMENTAL CONDITIONAL REFLEXES (OPERANT LEARNING) The father of the instrumental form of learning is considered to be E. Thorndike, who at the end of the last century called this form of learning learning "the method of trial, error and random success."

nine0022 SIMULATION LEARNING

SIMULATION LEARNING Imitation learning or imitation is a special form of learning in animals under conditions of communication, when one animal follows the example of another. There are instinctive imitation in animals (mutual stimulation), for example, attachment

COGNITIVE LEARNING

COGNITIVE LEARNING Cognitive learning combines the highest forms of learning, which are more characteristic of adult animals with a highly developed nervous system and based on its ability to form a holistic image of the environment. With cognitive forms of learning

Embryonic learning and maturation

Embryonic learning and maturation In this connection, a special issue arises about "embryonic learning", which was considered by some researchers to be the predominant, if not the only, factor in the entire complex process of initial formation.

Obligate learning

obligate learning The above examples of postnatal learning refer to obligate learning mentioned earlier. This includes all forms of learning, which in natural conditions are absolutely necessary for the performance of the most important vital functions, i.e.

Early elective learning

Early elective learning As an independent category of acquiring individual experience, facultative learning plays an even smaller role in early ontogeny than in later stages of ontogeny. This is because it was originally only

Obligate learning and orientation

nine0002 Obligate learning and orientation Let us first consider some of the processes associated with the initial orientation of the calf. In all animals, taxises are of paramount importance here, which, as has already been shown, in higher animals are supplemented and enriched with elements

Emotion and learning

Emotions and learning If we talked more about negative emotions than about positive ones, it was only because the latter were less studied both at the physiological and at the psychological level. In addition, ideas about “reward” and the mechanisms for achieving it

7. Learning and memory

7. Learning and memory We perceive the environment from the very moment of birth, and perhaps even a little earlier. We see shapes and colors, we hear various sounds, we feel the texture of objects, we catch smells spreading in the air, we feel

4.2.4. Latent learning

First phenomenon of latent (hidden, implicit) learning has been found in the laboratory conditions on rats that were examined maze without any reinforcements. It turned out that later the rat with such experience learns to pass maze faster and with less errors. It was concluded that during maze exploration, animal acquires some experience then uses in the organization purposeful behavior. nine0003

Same latent learning refers to learning inconsistent with the leading motivation. Yes, hungry but not thirsty the rat was trained to pass the T-shaped labyrinth in which one of the corridors leads to food and the other to water. It turned out that if later the same the rat will be thirsty, then it will begin to choose a corridor with water. This means that the learning process was lack of appropriate motivation.

biological the meaning of latent learning is in what happens thanks to him accumulation of information about properties the external world, its image or development motor responses as possible needed to build behavior in future. Latent learning is not passive It is based on the need for a new information in the form exploratory behavior and characterized as curiosity. The need for new information Ultimately, it provides an opportunity development of the organism, providing it future. nine0003

As and with negative learning, in latent orientation plays a leading role reaction to stimuli, images and situation, especially its exploratory component. But the mechanism is formation of causal links between indifferent irritants. The formation of an associative communication can occur between stimuli of various modality, and this is reinforced unconditioned reflex component subsequent stimulus. From the psychological point of view, reinforcement with latent learning, serves satisfaction need for new information. nine0003

thorpe (1975) defines latent learning as “Formation of an association between indifferent stimuli or situations in the absence of explicit reinforcements."

That is in the process of latent learning combination of multiple touch stimuli leads to the formation temporary connection, which is classified as sensory-sensory associations. When combinations in the future of one of sensory stimuli with biological significant reinforcement, will quickly arise stable conditioned reflex reaction. nine0003

According to modern concepts (J. Godefroy, 1992), latent learning refers to cognitive learning, that is, learning associated with thinking, intellectual processes in animals. And the speech should go not just about association between any two situations between the situation and the body's response, and about the assessment of this situation, taking into account past experience and its possible consequences. It is assumed that with latent learning in the central nervous system a kind of map of the environment is formed environment with the definition of possible significance its constituents for the animal. nine0003

Elements of latent learning is present in almost any learning process, but may be revealed only in special experiments.

AT vivo latent learning possible thanks to research animal activity in a new situation. It is found not only in vertebrates. This or a similar ability for orientation on the ground use, for example, many insects. Particularly good latent learning studied in hymenoptera. So, a bee or a wasp, before flying away from the nest, commits "reconnaissance" flight over it, which allows her to remember "mental plan" of this site terrain.

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