In psychology, latent learning refers to knowledge that only becomes clear when a person has an ince
ntive to display it. For example, a child might learn how to complete a math problem in class, but t
his learning is not immediately apparent. Only when the child is offered some form of reinforcement
for completing the problem does this learning reveal itself.
How Latent Learning Works and Why It's Important
Latent learning is important because in most cases the information we have learned is not always rec
ognizable until the moment that we need to display it.
While you might have learned how to cook a roast by watching your parents prepare dinner, this learn
ing may not be apparent until you find yourself having to cook a meal on your own.
When we think about the learning process, we often focus only on learning that is immediately obviou
s. We teach a rat to run through a maze by offering rewards for correct responses. We train a studen
t to raise his hand in the class by offering praise for the appropriate behaviors.
But not all learning is immediately apparent.
Sometimes learning only becomes evident when we need to utilize it. According to psychologists, this
"hidden" learning that only manifests itself when reinforcement is offered is known as latent learn
ing.
How Was Latent Learning Discovered?
The term latent learning was coined by psychologist Edward Tolman during his research with rats.
In experiments that involved having groups of rats run a maze, rats that initially received no rewar
d still learned the course during the non-reward trials. Once rewards were introduced, the rats were
able to draw upon their "cognitive map" of the course.
These observations demonstrated that learning could take place even when an organism does not displa
y it right away. Learning occurs as we go, often by accident, but not just because of incentives and
rewards.
Latent learning correlates with many higher-level mental abilities, such as problem-solving and plan
ning for the future.
If students learn something now, they may be rewarded in the future with good grades and acceptance
to the college of their choice. The rewards of this learning may not be apparent or immediate, but t
his learning may take place in anticipation of a reward later on down the road.