Latent Learning As part of observational learning

Latent Learning Latent learning is when an organism learns something in its life, but the knowledge is not immediately expressed. It remains dormant, and may not be available to consciousness, until specific events/experiences might need this knowledge to be demonstrated.

Suppose you are camping near a forest for a vacation, and you have wandered through it quite a bit already. You know there is a tourist merchandise store somewhere in the forest, and maybe you have passed it a few times while wandering around, but you never really gave importance to it.

Now, what would happen if you heard that free trekking shoes were being handed out to the first ten people that passed by the store? You would probably be at the store in no time. If you did go to the store, you would have shown a clear example of latent learning.

You had learned of the store's existence and how to get there days before you heard of the special gifts, but you never had the motivation to actually go there. You only showed what you learned, when you had a good reason to do so.

In latent learning, a new behaviour is learned, but such behaviour is not shown until a reinforcer is offered. A theorist supporting latent learning would say you developed a cognitive map of the forest and the store's location during your first days walking around.

That is why, some time later, you were able to get to the store with no difficulties, even though you had not paid any attention to the store before. Though you always wandered through the forest with no defined goal, in your mind, you knew exactly where you were, meaning you had a mental representation of places and spatial directions.

Another example: if you are in a car going to school with a friend every day, but your friend is driving all the time, you may learn the way to get to school, but have no reason to demonstrate this knowledge. However, when you friend gets sick one day and you have to drive yourself for the first time, if you can get to school following the same route you would go if your friend was driving, then you have demonstrated latent learning.

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