
Edward Lee Thorndike proposed the Law. This Law was Thorndike’s Primary Law of Learning. It was the result of the experiment that Thorndike conducted on cats using a Puzzle Box. The Puzzle Box had a loop pulling which would help the cat to escape and grab the food placed outside the box.
Why did Thorndike make the puzzle box?
Puzzle Box. The puzzle box is the laboratory device that E. L. Thorndike invented in order to study instrumental or operant conditioning in cats. Hungry cats were individually placed into a box that could be opened by the animal via a device such as a latch.
What is Thorndike's law of effect?
Thorndike's Law of Effect came about in 1898 after performing experiments on animals in learning boxes that he devised. He sought to observe the development of learned behavior in non-human animals that he could generalize to human animals.
What is the response to Thorndike's experiment?
Such a response begins with innate reactions like fear and builds as a person reacts more. In Thorndike Cat Experiment, the cat initially exhibits various action impulses such as clawing the string or scratching the bars to open the door of the Thorndike puzzle box.
What did Thorndike say about the law of generalization?
Thus, Thorndike asserted that the animals succeeded in escaping and learning behavior faster when they manipulated some device inside the enclosure. Edward Thorndike also conducted experiments on the Law of Generalization. Though, he never used this term. Thus, as a part of the experiment, Thorndike placed the animal in a separate box.

What did Thorndike's puzzle box prove?
From the puzzle box, Thorndike found that cats learn by trial and error. He also thought that people learn in the same way. This brought about his theory of 'stamping in'.
How does Thorndike study demonstrate the Law of Effect?
contribution to learning theory Thorndike, postulated the Law of Effect, which stated that those behavioral responses (R) that were most closely followed by a satisfactory result were most likely to become established patterns and to reoccur in response to the same stimulus (S).
What is an example of Thorndike's Law of Effect?
If you study and then get a good grade on a test, you will be more likely to study for the next exam. If you work hard and then receive a promotion and pay raise, you will be more likely to continue to put in more effort at work.
Which method does the cat use in the puzzle box experiment by Thorndike?
In one of his experiments with the puzzle box, Thorndike used the cat's licking behavior as the stimulus for the door opening to see if they could learn to repeat the licking behavior more quickly if placed in the box again.
What is puzzle box experiment?
The puzzle box is the laboratory device that E. L. Thorndike invented in order to study instrumental or operant conditioning in cats. Hungry cats were individually placed into a box that could be opened by the animal via a device such as a latch.
How do you apply Thorndike's theory in the classroom?
The teacher can apply it in the classroom situation by introducing the principles of pleasure and pain, reward and punishment. When the student does something wrong and he is punished for it, he will not do the work again because punishment gives him pain.
How would I apply Law of Effect?
Regarding actions that received positive consequences, the Law of Effect stated: “Of several responses made to the same situation, those which are accompanied or closely followed by satisfaction to the animal will, other things being equal, be more firmly connected with the situation, so that, when it recurs, they will ...
What is another way to state Thorndike's Law of Effect?
Thorndike's Law of Effect states that a response followed by a pleasant consequence is more likely to be repeated, whereas a response followed by an unpleasant consequence is more likely to be diminished.
What did Thorndike mean by the Law of Effect quizlet?
thorndike's law of effect. principle developed by edward thorndike that says that any behavior that results in satisfying consequences tends to be repeated and that any behavior that results in unsatisfying consequences tends not to be repeated. primary reinforcement. stimulus that is innately reinforcing (food)
Who used puzzle boxes study animal behavior?
ThorndikeThorndike studied learning in animals (usually cats). He devised a classic experiment in which he used a puzzle box (see fig. 1) to empirically test the laws of learning.
What does Thorndike's experiment tell us about learning in animals?
Thorndike constructed a learning curve. The cats struggled at first, but got faster with each new trial until their rates of responding became efficient enough to level off. Thorndike believed that to even perform this type of learning required some intelligence intrinsic to the cats.
Which method is based on Thorndike's laws of learning?
Thorndike's theories are considered as the precursors of American behaviorism that would find its maximum exponent in the figure of Skinner, father of operant conditioning.
On which principle is the Law of Effect result of Thorndike based?
The law of effect is a psychology principle advanced by Edward Thorndike in 1898 on the matter of behavioral conditioning (not then formulated as such) which states that "responses that produce a satisfying effect in a particular situation become more likely to occur again in that situation, and responses that produce ...
What is another way to state Thorndike's Law of Effect?
Thorndike's Law of Effect states that a response followed by a pleasant consequence is more likely to be repeated, whereas a response followed by an unpleasant consequence is more likely to be diminished.
What is Thorndike's laws of learning?
Edward Thorndike developed the first three laws of learning: readiness, exercise, and effect. He set also the law of effect which means that any behavior that is followed by pleasant consequences is likely to be repeated, and any behavior followed by unpleasant consequences is likely to be avoided.
How do you use the Law of Effect?
Regarding actions that received positive consequences, the Law of Effect stated: “Of several responses made to the same situation, those which are accompanied or closely followed by satisfaction to the animal will, other things being equal, be more firmly connected with the situation, so that, when it recurs, they will ...
How many boxes did Thorndike use?
In the experiments done with cats, Thorndike used 15 boxes made of wooden slats and cloth. Each box consisted of a door that the cat could open after adopting some mechanism.
How does Thorndike's theory of connectionism work?
As per Thorndike’s Theory of Connectionism, learning happens when an individual makes precise connections between the new information. That is, an individual learns by forming associations between a particular stimulus and response.
What did Thorndike believe about animals?
Many researchers in the field of comparative psychology during Thorndike’s time believed that higher-order animals like cats, dogs, and birds learned through the association of ideas. But, Thorndike ridiculed the Theory of Association of Ideas as well as the Theory of Reasoning in animals.
What is the Edward Thorndike theory of learning?
Edward Thorndike Theory of Learning. The Animal Intelligence monograph published in 1898 set the foundation for comparative psychology as an experimental science. Furthermore, this monograph led to a dramatic shift in thinking about learning in both animals and humans.
What was the Elliott Reinforcer Devaluation Test?
As a part of this test, Elliott conducted one trial per day wherein he trained two groups of hungry rats in a 14-unit maze. So one group of rats was the Control Group and the other was the Experimental Group.
What was the difference between the control group and the experimental group?
So one group of rats was the Control Group and the other was the Experimental Group. The Control Group received sunflower seeds in a goal box throughout the training. Whereas, the Experimental Group of rats received bran mash for the first 9 days. Afterward, the Experimental Group of rats received the sunflower seeds.
What is the law of effect?
Edward Thorndike’s Law of Effect has been one of the earliest empirical laws in the history of behavioral psychology. As per this law, the response made to a given situation may firmly connect or bond with such a situation, other things remaining equal.
What is Thorndike's theory of learning?
Thorndike presented the theory on laws of learning on the basis of his belief in connectionism. These laws are originally the outgrowth of experiments in the field of animal psychology. He first presented his theory in his book Animal Learning published in 1898. The three major laws are:
What did Thorndike believe about animals?
One of Thorndike major contributions to the study of psychology was his work with animals. He believed that learning occurred through trial and error. The animal made many responses, many of them were wrong and ineffective and eventually learned to repeat those that got desirable results.
What is the law of effect?
The meaning of the law of effect is the effect of learning. The trial or steps leading to satisfaction stamps in the bond or connection. Satisfying states lead to consolidation and strengthening of connection, whereas dissatisfaction annoyance or pain lead to the weakening or stamping out of the connection.
What is the second law?
The second important law has two aspects. It is based on law of use and disuse. The law of use states, “When a modifiable connection is made between a situation and a response, that connection’s strength is being increased”.
