Associative learning, in animal behaviour, any learning process in which a new response becomes associated with a particular stimulus. In its broadest sense, the term has been used to describe virtually all learning except simple habituation (q.v.).

Do animals have associative learning?

Most animals show some degree of non-associative learning. This means they change their response to a stimuli without association with a positive or negative reinforcement.

Why is associative learning important in animals?

Associative learning plays a variety of roles in the study of animal cognition from a core theoretical component to a null hypothesis against which the contribution of cognitive processes is assessed. Two developments in contemporary associative learning have enhanced its relevance to animal cognition.