Final answer:
Learning transforms sensorimotor control from reflexive actions to behaviors influenced by cognitive processing, personal experiences, and choices. This is observed during the sensorimotor developmental stage, with cognitive learning mechanisms such as observational learning, latent learning, and mirror neurons playing a key role. The basal ganglia facilitate cognitive-motor interactions, further internalizing the locus of sensorimotor control.
Step-by-step explanation:
Learning affects the nature and locus of sensorimotor control by shifting from innate reflexes and instincts to a more complex, experience-based system. In the sensorimotor stage of development, infants explore and learn about their environment through their senses and motor activities. As learning occurs, there is a transition from reflexive actions to cognitive learning, where behaviors are modified based on experiences and outcomes.
Cognitive learning involves processes such as observational learning, latent learning, and associative learning. Individuals watch others and imitate behaviors, which is facilitated by mirror neurons. Furthermore, self-efficacy and personal factors influence the behaviors an individual chooses to imitate and learn. For instance, children may learn routes or other behaviors by observing their parents but only demonstrate this knowledge when necessary through latent learning.
Through learning, the control of behavior becomes less about innate sensorimotor reflexes and more about cognitive processes, like comparing motor commands with sensory feedback or associating sensory stimuli with learned behaviors. The basal ganglia play a significant role in these cognitive-motor interactions as the individual grows and develops. Thus, as learning happens, the locus of control becomes more internalized and shaped by personal experiences and choices.