The Most Important Characteristics of Learning are listed below:
(i) Learning is a change in behaviour:
A change in behaviour can be for better or for worse. Learning can bring changes in any aspect of behaviour.
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They can be the changes in muscular movements, verbal behaviour, perceptual organisation or thinking processes.
(ii) Experience and practice:
It is another important characteristic of learning. Learning is a change that takes place only through practice or experience. Changes in behaviour occurring due to the lack of experience and practice are not learning. Changes in behaviour due to maturation, growth, accident, injury, etc., do not constitute learning.
(iii) Relatively permanent:
To be called learning, the change must be relatively permanent. It must last for a fairly long time, exactly how long should it last cannot be specified, but we usually think of learned changes in behaviour as lasting for (Jays, months, and years, unlike the temporary behavioural effects of factors such as alertness or fatigue. Besides the three characteristics mentioned above, learning also has some other characteristics.
(iv) Stimulus response connection:
Learning is a connection between a stimulus and a response. A person is said to be have learned something when he responds to a stimulus in more or less the same way every time.
(v) Learned behaviour can be simple or complex:
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Learning can be a simple form of learning involving a direct stimulus response connection or it can be complex learning. Examples of simple learning are cycling, playing cards, or driving a car, etc. Complex learning includes learning to operate computer, flying an aeroplane, etc.