An organism learns through producing a series of approximations and receiving feedback from the environment as to which approximations are more effective. The organism is not guided by an internal theory or concept, but may at first emit behaviours at random. Some behaviors are reinforced by the environment, and thus they are emitted more often, such that the organism gradually zeroes in on the correct solution. Learning a route through a maze may occur through trial-and-error learning. Trial-and-error learning is often contrasted to ‘insight’ in which the subject figures out a solution to a problem internally, prior to taking any overt action.
See Action, Exploration, Learning, Problem-solving