The Brain Doesn't Erase Old Behavior — It Competes With It

Why does training so often produce people who understood the material but still didn't change what they do? In the third episode of her seven-part series on the Kirkpatrick Model, Vanessa Milara Alzate turns to the brain science behind Level 3, behavior, and argues that behavior change has never been a learning problem — it's a habit problem.

Drawing on cognitive science, neuroscience, and behavioral science, Vanessa explains why the brain can't simply unlearn an old behavior — it can only build a new neural pathway strong enough to compete with the old one, a process called neuroplasticity. She walks through the roles dopamine, mirror neurons, and loss aversion play in whether a new behavior sticks, and introduces the intention-action gap: the space between wanting to change and actually doing it, usually caused by friction rather than a lack of willpower.

Takeaways: why behavior change is a habit problem, not a knowledge problem; what neuroplasticity means for how L&D should design initiatives; the formula practice plus reinforcement equals habit; why emotional engagement and social modeling matter as much as content; and one reflection question to run on any behavior you're trying to help people adopt.

This episode continues a seven-part series on the Kirkpatrick Model — a good week to pick up Building a Culture of Evaluation ahead of Vanessa's live Book Club discussion this fall.

Building a Culture of Evaluation Order the book behind the Culture of Evaluation framework and updated Kirkpatrick Model. The book comes with a Companion Guide to help support you on the journey.

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👉 Join the Book Club

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Kirkpatrick Learning and Performance Center of Excellence Certification builds capability. Accreditation builds systems. The Kirkpatrick Certified Organization accreditation recognizes organizations that have embedded the Kirkpatrick Four Levels® into how they actually operate — through governance, SOPs, feedback loops, and cross-functional accountability. If your evaluation capability would disappear when a key person leaves, this is the credential designed to fix that. Founding Organization status is now open — first year of annual maintenance waived for inaugural cohort members.

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