Abstract
The present study reviews and critiques all of the major studies dealing with the phenomenon of the latent learning. This learning refers to the acquisition or alteration in a disposition to perform without the presence of any apparent reward and points to the possible difference between learning and performance. As such it is an important phenomenon and represents a point of contention between the S-R theories and the cognitive-field theories. When experiments are carefully controlled so as to eliminate the possibility of reinforcement and other confounding factors, latent learning does seem to be very real. This lends considerable support to the cognitive theorists, particularly Tolman, and places stress on those holding to a reinforcement position.
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