Latent Learning and Tolman's Maze Study: A Joyful Exploration

What did Tolman's maze-learning study of latent learning show?

a. Rats that were continually reinforced when they reached the end of the maze made more mistakes.
b. Rats that were not reinforced for getting through the maze were slow to learn the maze.
c. Rats that initially were not reinforced, but that were then later reinforced for reaching the end of the maze caught up quickly to the performance of rats that had been continually reinforced.
d. Both b and c.

Answer:

The correct answer is option d, both b and c.

Explanation: The correct answer to your question is d. both b and c. In Tolman's maze learning experiments, the study showed that rats that were not initially reinforced for getting through the maze were slow in learning the maze, which matches option b. However, these rats quickly caught up to the performance of rats that were continually reinforced after they were later given reinforcement for reaching the end of the maze, as per option c.

This demonstrates the concept of latent learning, which is learning that occurs without being immediately observable in behavior until there is a reason to demonstrate it. These findings show that these rats were creating a cognitive map of the maze in their minds, showcasing the power of cognitive learning not limited to humans.