1 Psychology and human development1.3 Learning and learning theories
1.3.1 Neural and comparative learning
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Written by Resident Doctor Committee · Published
New in the 2027 syllabus
The College added this topic for exams from January 2027.
How learning changes the brain
Synaptic plasticity means that synapses (the junctions between neurones) change their strength or organisation after activity. This is how experience alters later behaviour.
Short-term learning can modify synaptic proteins that are already there.
Longer-lasting change can involve gene expression, protein synthesis and altered synaptic structure.
Different memory systems support different learning tasks. Declarative learning (facts and events), habits and conditioned emotional responses do not depend on one identical circuit.
Learning across species
Example | Learning shown | What it tells us |
|---|---|---|
Aplysia withdrawal reflex | Habituation and sensitisation | Simple circuits let us study synaptic mechanisms |
Rodent navigation | Spatial learning | Behaviour depends on both task demands and memory systems |
Primate observation | Learning from others | Social information can influence how something is learned |
Aplysia is a sea slug. In habituation, its withdrawal reflex gets weaker after repeated harmless stimulation. In sensitisation, it responds more strongly after a strong stimulus.
Cautions when comparing species
Species differ in their senses, the demands of their environment and their biological preparedness (an inborn readiness to learn some associations more easily than others). So the same task may not measure the same ability in two species.
Animal models show mechanisms under controlled conditions. They do not reproduce the full meaning, language or social context of human learning.