I thought Sims did "learn" from what you have them do somehow
. Usually I play with free will on although I control most of what they do anyway until they turn perma plat. By then I am tired of them and let them go about their business in hopes they will kill themselves but they NEVER do. Which is REALLY annoying. Mostly the old farts just relax in bed all day, jump up with a bladder or hunger bubble if that's the lowest motive and then lay back down because it is not low enough.
I do notice however that if I have them always eat the same food their whole lives they will autonomously go to make that food when they are hungry (usually chef salad since I avoid those annoying cooking fires). They also will jump in the shower and go to the bathroom much earlier than when I first got them so no need ever gets really low and the only reason I could think of is because they had done the same routines all their little Sim lives under my control.
I think some Sims seem to do what makes sense because we have "rigged" their wants to make sense based on what we buy them, what we have them eat and who we have them talk to. It took me forever to figure out not to have them talk to random strangers to avoid the "be friends with random guy I waved to at the mailbox"