learning

Learning is a >cognitive process that changes the >knowledge of an actor by >communication, >transaction and >perception. In evolutionary theory, this is different from the >VSR mechanism because the change of knowledge takes place on the level of the interactor, that is, learning leads to the transmission of acquired characteristics through time.

There are many different theories of learning. Basis distinctions can be made between inductive and deductive approaches and between individual and social learning. The most important mechanisms of inductive learning are reinforcement of individual behavior by past experiences and imitation of observed behavior of other actors in a social context. Deductive learning operates via cognitive schemes that enable the actor to test hypotheses independent from past experience. The latter kind of learning can be analyzed, in turn, according to the VSR mechanism, so that learning can be easily integrated into the general evolutionary framework.

In EE the concept of learning is treated in a more specific way in different contexts, as for example in >game theory or in organizational theory. Modelling approaches are often based on stochastic processes, in which deductive and inductive approaches can be mixed. For example, in Bayesian learning the priors are hypotheses which are changed by reinforcement, i.e. ex post observed frequencies of events. In contrast, learning via the "matching law" is based on a random generation of behavior and subsequent reinforcement by success and failure.
Existing theories of learning inadequately reflect the role of human creativity and imagination in the generation of new knowledge.

Basic References

A very good survey of modelling approaches in the theory of learning is:
Thomas Brenner, Modelling Learning in Economics, Cheltenham/Northhampton: Elgar, 1999.

There is a special website on learning and the economy:
ELSE

Semantic Field
knowledge
VSR-mechanism
cognition   learning