Latent Learning

Synonyms

Incidental learning; Unreinforced learning; Implicit learning

Definition

Latent learning is an acquisition of neutral information in the absence of external reinforcement or punishment. In latent learning, the acquisition of information does not lead to an immediate change in behavior until the subject is given an incentive to demonstrate the knowledge.

Characteristics

A Brief Introduction

Learning is typically defined operationally as a process whereby pre-existing behavioral patterns undergo long-term modification. However, there are many cases in which the impact of a learning process may not immediately express itself, instead remaining latent. For example, one may learn how to perform a task by observing someone else, but this acquired knowledge may not become behaviorally expressed until performance of that task becomes necessary some time in the future. The study of latent learning helps to bridge behaviorist, operational definitions of learning with the more...