Focus
Unexplained changes in stimulus–response pairingsPrincipal Metaphors
- Knowledge is … repertoire of behaviors
- Knowing is … behaving (triggered by stimuli)
- Learner is … an organism-in-context
- Learning is … changes in behavior (linking stimuli to responses)
- Teaching is … training; engineering behavior (through deliberate conditioning)
Originated
1960sSynopsis
Nonassociative Learning occurs when an organism’s responses to a stimulus change, with no apparent influence from learning events. Nonassociative Learning processes include:- Extinction – reduction in a learned behavior
- Habituation – a reduction in innate behavior (e.g., no longer startled by a loud noise)
- Sensitization – an increase in responsiveness to a specific stimulus
- Spontaneous Recovery – the re-appearance of a thought-to-be-extinguished behavior
Authors and/or Prominent Influences
See Behaviorisms.Status as a Theory of Learning
See Behaviorisms.Status as a Theory of Teaching
See Behaviorisms.Status as a Scientific Theory
See Behaviorisms.Subdiscourses:
- Extinction
- Habituation
- Sensitization
- Spontaneous Recovery
Map Location

Please cite this article as:
Davis, B., & Francis, K. (2021). “Nonassociative Learning” in Discourses on Learning in Education. https://learningdiscourses.com.
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