Overview & Description: Latent learning refers to learning that is not immediately expressed or observable. It occurs without any obvious reinforcement of the behavior or associations that are learned. This learning becomes apparent only when there’s some incentive to demonstrate it.

Example: A rat might learn a maze by wandering through it (without any immediate reward) and demonstrate this knowledge only when presented with a reward.

Implications: This concept has implications for understanding learning and knowledge in the absence of reinforcement and is particularly useful in educational psychology.

References:

• Tolman, E. C. (1948). Cognitive maps in rats and men. Psychological review, 55(4), 189.