Which concept is described by the phrase 'Neurons That Fire Together, Wire Together'?

• A. Hebbian Learning
• B. Operant Conditioning
• C. Classical Conditioning
• D. Social Learning

Answer: (A)

Hebbian learning describes the idea that synapses strengthen when the sending and receiving neurons fire together. When a presynaptic neuron repeatedly helps drive a postsynaptic neuron to fire, the connection between them becomes stronger, making future transmission more likely. This activity-dependent strengthening underlies how associations form and memories are encoded in neural circuits (often via long-term potentiation). It differs from operant conditioning, which relies on rewards or punishments to shape behavior, and from classical conditioning, which pairs stimuli to elicit automatic responses. It also isn’t about learning by observing others, as in social learning.