A broader definition of learning could help stimulate interdisciplinary research

According to a new Perspectives on Psychological Science article, researchers could better collaborate across the fields of psychology, computer science, sociology, and genetics by embracing a broader definition of learning that includes any behavioural adaption developed in response to regular features of an environment. “Most people think of learning as some kind of mechanism for storing new information, but this makes comparing learning in different systems very difficult because different systems probably use different mechanisms for storing information,” De Houwer explained. “We define learning as changes in how a system responds to its surroundings.” Read More…