Synonyms
Definition
A graphical representation of the rate of learning (vertical y axis) in relation to number of attempts (trials) at learning (horizontal x axis).
Introduction
A learning curve shows the progression of learning over time in repeated attempts to arrive at the solution of a problem, which may be practical (e.g., open the door of a puzzle box) or mental (e.g., memorize information, find the solution to a mathematical problem, etc.) in nature. Although developed at the end of the nineteenth century, the concept still is used in contemporary research to plot performance progression and skill acquisition over time.
Development of the Concept and First Experiments
References
Gallistel, C. R., Fairhurst, S., & Balsam, P. (2004). The learning curve: Implications of a quantitative analysis. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 101(36), 13124–13131.
Ebbinghaus, H. (1885). Ãœber das Gedchtnis. Untersuchungen zur experimentellen Psychologie. Leipzig: Duncker & Humblot. the English edition is Ebbinghaus, H. (1913). Memory. A Contribution to Experimental Psychology. New York: Teachers College, Columbia University (Reprinted Bristol: Thoemmes Press, 1999).
Thorndike, E. L. (1898). Animal intelligence: An experimental study of the associative processes in animals. Psychological Monographs: General and Applied, 2(4), i-109.
Murre, J. M. J. (2014). S-shaped learning curves. Psychonomic Bulletin and Review., 21(2), 344–356.
Glautier, S. (2013). Revisiting the learning curve (once again). Frontiers in Psychology, 4, 982. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00982.
Hopper, A. N., Jamison, M. H., & Lewis, W. G. (2007). Learning curves in surgical practice. Postgraduate Medical Journal, 83(986), 777–779.
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Papageorgi, I. (2018). Learning Curve. In: Shackelford, T., Weekes-Shackelford, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_1050-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_1050-1
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