Introduction

This lesson was created using material from General Psychology 20, Student Module Booklet, Alberta Distance Learning Centre.

What is Learning?

Human beings are born learners. Learning begins as soon as the newborn enters the fascinating new world and continues until death ends the learning process. The road to learning may bring joy or even ecstasy. On the other hand, learning may be marked with confusion, pain, and hard work.

Although learning forms a tremendous part of our lives, we can define what is not considered learning. Reflex is a behaviour that is not learned. It is a simple automatic response involving a part of the body. For example, a reflex action is the response of a baby curling and unclenching its hand. Another example of a reflex action is putting out one’s hands to break the impact of a fall. A reflex action does not require previous learning or practise.