Non-associative learning: its characteristics and types

A significant percentage of our behavior is due to learning. these learnings. They may be conscious but, in most cases, they occur completely by chance, without our realizing which response we have associated with which stimulus.

Non-associative learning is one of the ways in which living beings can change our behavior, making that our response to a given stimulus is reduced or, on the contrary, significantly increased. Next we will delve into this learning modality.

• Related article: "The 13 types of learning: what are they?"

What is non-associative learning?

Non-associative learning is a permanent change in response to a stimulus due to repeated and prolonged exposure to it for a relatively long time. Normally, the change produced in the behavior of the individual has to do with the degree of response to the stimulus, that is, either it gives a weaker response or, on the contrary, it gives a stronger response. strong.

An example of non-associative learning would be when we are in a bar. It is normal that, when entering the establishment, we hear the voices of the other clients, who are chatting about their things.

As the minutes go by and we have a drink with our friends, we stop paying attention to the other conversations: we have gotten used to it. It no longer causes us in response to lose the thread of the conversation or not be able to listen well to what our friends have to say.

The main characteristic of non-associative learning is that it is capable of causing changes in behavior or response of the individual without the need for there to be several stimuli relating to each other, hence the fact of not associative.

It differs from its counterpart, associative learning, in the fact that this second occurs through the connection of ideas and experiences. A classic example of associative learning would be Pavlov's experiment that, by presenting food to a dog and by ringing one bell at a time, he made the dog associate the noise of that instrument with food.

non-associative learning It is one of the simplest forms of learning, and is common in many species.. As with associative learning, non-associative learning was originally described by psychology. behaviorist, branch that in its origins was focused exclusively on visible behavior and left aside the mental processes. With the passage of time, mental processes have been taken more into account, and non-associative learning has been used in the therapeutic and educational field.

non-associative learning It can occur through one of the following two processes: habituation or sensitization. Generally, these processes are complementary and opposite, and they are the basis of many of our daily experiences and behavior.

The types of non-associative learning

As we have commented, non-associative learning can occur in two complementary and opposite processes: habituation and sensitization. Both phenomena imply a change in the individual's attitude or behavior as a consequence of repeated exposure to a specific stimulus. However, the way they do it is different.

1. habituation

We can define habituation as the learning process in which one or more of the components of the response The individual's innate response to a stimulus decreases when continuously exposed to the same stimulus or in several occasions.

Among the components that can decrease its intensity we find some such as the probability of the response or its duration. That is, the more times the person receives the stimulus, the less tendency he has to issue a response, since he has become used to it.

Habituation can occur before any type of physical or mental stimulus. The habituation effect is more pronounced when the stimuli are presented frequently, since the organism ends up getting used to them. L

The same occurs with stimuli that cause low intensity responses, since they end up decreasing more quickly than the most intense ones.

A fairly easy example to understand we have with clothes. When we put it on, we feel it. We may notice how tight the pants are, that the underpants bother us a bit, the bra is too tight... However, when it has passed For a while, our brain generates a habituation response, blocking redundant information in order to focus all cognitive resources on other tasks.

Another case would be when we are watching a movie and the scene changes. The new scene may take place in the countryside, where you can hear the birds singing and the summer breeze blowing. At first we will notice these noises but, after a while, we will not take them into account so much and we will focus only on what the protagonists say.

2. awareness

Sensitization can be understood as the opposite process of habituation. When this phenomenon occurs, the response to the stimulus increases in intensity due to having been repeatedly exposed to it. This process would be behind both adaptive and maladaptive learning phenomena.

An example of sensitization would be what happens to a person when they constantly rub their arm. At first, the sensation may be pleasant, but after a few minutes and after having excited the peripheral nerves for a long time, it becomes a nuisance, even painful.

Another example we would have in the alarm clock. Alarm clocks have been made so that we cannot get used to their noise because, if that were the case, we would continue sleeping. That is why when we listen to them every morning, far from getting used to his melody, it is even more annoying, making us more sensitive to its melody.

Is it present in other species?

Although many behaviors observed in the human species do not seem to occur in other species, it is not the case of non-associative learning. This behavior modification mechanism has been found in many living beings. Virtually all animals show some version of this, in addition to being found in plant species as is the case of Mimosa pudica and some protozoa.

Because of this, many scientists believe that non-associative learning must have been the first type of behavior change to appear at an evolutionary level.

Possibly, this process has played a very important role in adaptation to the environment., allowing living beings to save resources by avoiding overreacting to stimuli that are presented in a way frequent, as it would be in the case of habituation, or avoid damage due to overexposure of the same, as would be the case of sensitization.

Advantages

There are multiple advantages that can be observed from non-associative learning.

1. Greater adaptability

Non-associative learning, especially habituation, is a mechanism that allows us to function in our environment very adaptively. If we did not have this capacity, we would find ourselves with all kinds of problems when it comes to functioning correctly in our day to day.

When we are faced with a new stimulus, it is normal for our response to be very intense.. This occurs with most changes. For example, if we have changed our brand of water, we may notice that it does not taste the same to us and even has an aftertaste that does not quite convince us.

However, as we drink it, we stop noticing its flavor. If this were not the case and we always noticed that taste, perhaps we would drink less water than we need and we would run the risk of dehydration.

2. Applicability

Both habituation and sensitization are two processes that they can be used in many ways, especially in the field of education, parenting and psychological therapy.

For example, when a child has just started going to school, it is normal for him to feel uncomfortable, afraid and even want to cry, since it is a situation completely unknown to him that does not bring him security. However, as he goes to class he settles in, relaxes and has a good time with his new friends from school.

Regarding the field of therapy, habituation It is one of the most useful processes for the elimination of phobias.. For example, a person who has a phobia of cockroaches has an irrational fear of these insects, which means that when he sees them in his house he has a really bad time and causes a high irruption in his life.

In therapy, this fear is reduced through controlled exposure, showing the individual stimuli from lower to higher intensity until they show a less intense response and got used to it.

• You may be interested in: "The 5 differences between systematic desensitization and exposure"

3. find new situations

Although habituation is emphasized in most behavioral experiments on non-associative learning, sensitization is also of great importance.

Sensitization would be behind many advanced learning processes, especially those that require acquiring new skills. When this happens, the person is capable of detecting less intense stimuli, in such a way that it could more easily give a more precise response.

For example, when learning to drive it is normal that in the first attempts after obtaining the license the person is excessively focused on the road and takes time to process all the stimuli. Instead, As you repeat these attempts, it will be easier for you to process all the information without having to put a lot of effort into it..

Disadvantages

But in the same way that it has a series of advantages, non-associative learning also has its disadvantages.

1. Reduces positive emotions

It is normal that when we are faced with a pleasant stimulus, it produces us all joy, euphoria, satisfaction and other positive emotions. However, If the stimulus is repeated several times, the emotional response will gradually decrease., as would be the case in a habituation process. This is called hedonic adaptation.

If hedonic adaptation is not managed properly, there is a risk of taking dangerous behaviors. It is common to see this in people who say they are "addicted to adrenaline", exposing themselves to risky situations like skydiving, car racing, hiking extreme...

2. addictions

And closely related to the previous disadvantage we have that non-associative learning can play an important role behind drug addictions. The person who consumes a substance, as he takes it on new occasions, notices that he gets used to the drug, not causing the same sensations as the beginning and needing to increase the dose. Thus, you risk increasing the damage of the drug in your body.

For example, alcoholism is behind habituation to alcohol as the main factor. The first time you drink a beer, it can affect us a lot, since we are not used to it.

As we increase consumption, there will be a time when we will not notice anything after 3 or 4 beers and we will say that we are "warming up". To get “high” we will need to drink more, and this is where the murky path of alcohol use disorder begins.

Bibliographic references:

• Shettleworth, S. J. (2010). Cognition, Evolution and Behavior (2nd ed.). New York: Oxford.
• Malenka RC, Nestler EJ, Hyman SE (2009). "Chapter 15: Reinforcement and Addictive Disorders". In Sydor A, Brown RY (eds.). Molecular Neuropharmacology: A Foundation for Clinical Neuroscience (2nd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill Medical. pp. 364–375.
• Pellegrino, R.; Sinding, C.; Wijk, R.A. of; Hummel, T. (2017). "Habituation and adaptation to odors in humans". Physiology & Behavior. 177: 13–19. doi: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2017.04.006. PMID 28408237