The embarrassing defeat at Loftus Road means that Rangers have now won just once in their last six matches and have slipped down to ninth in the Championship table.
"We were guilty of giving the ball away cheaply and we came up against a good side who really clicked in this game," the Rangers boss said after Saturday's game.
"If you give the ball away against good sides, you'll be punished. We've handed out a few beatings this season and now we have to learn from this beating.
"It's all about learning lessons. It's wonderful to play expansive football and get the plaudits, but it sometimes takes a result like this to learn about your character.
"Let's see what we've got against Watford on Monday night. I will expect a response and so will the supporters - and so too will the players.
"This was, I hope, part of a learning curve for this group of players. We certainly need to do better."