Cognitive Scaffold

Preparing your thinking workspace

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MENTAL MODEL · M4100

Latent Learning

Latent Learning
Learn & MetacognitionHigh supportCognitive Psychology
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Updated 2026-08-01

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INTRODUCTION

English translation pending.

CORE DEFINITION

Demonstrated by Edward Tolman and Charles Honzik. Rats allowed to explore a maze without reward built up a cognitive map of it, and when a reward was introduced they reached the goal faster than rats that had never explored, with almost no learning curve. Tolman argued this showed that learning and performance are separable, which challenged the behaviourist claim that learning requires reinforcement and an observable response. Later work on implicit learning and sleep consolidation extended the finding. Latent learning is revealed by motivation, so an absence of performance is not evidence of an absence of learning.

SCAFFOLDING EFFECT

psychology

Reduce cognitive load

- Assessment caution: Treat a blank performance as unmeasured learning rather than as no learning. - Environment design: Expose learners to rich material before requiring them to use it. - Motivation timing: Introduce the reason to perform after the knowledge has had time to form.

anchor

Anchor fast decisions

Exploration builds an internal representation of the environment even when nothing rewards it, because the representation costs little and may pay later. The knowledge stays latent because behaviour is governed by what is currently useful rather than by everything that is known. When an incentive appears, the stored map is retrieved and expressed immediately, producing a sudden improvement that looks like fast learning but is fast performance. Motivation therefore gates expression, not acquisition.

MINIMUM ACTION

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Practice this model in one real situation:

Check to track your progress (stored locally)
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Source support: Explicit

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    en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latent_learningZH · Explicit
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