
Thorndike, born in Williamsburg, Massachusetts, was the son of Edward R and Abbie B Thorndike, a Methodist minister in Lowell, Massachusetts. Thorndike graduated from The Roxbury Latin School (1891), in West Roxbury, Massachusetts and from Wesleyan University (B.S. 1895). He earned an M.A.
What is stimulus response theory (S-R)?
It is also some of the strongest evidence for theories that fall under the larger category of Stimulus Response (S-R) Theory. Stimulus Response Theories attempts to explain the ways that human beings behave.
What is Thorndike’s Stimulus Response Theory?
Stimulus Response Theory was proposed by Edward Thorndike, who believed that learning boils down to two things: stimulus, and response. In Pavlov’s famous experiment, the “stimulus” was food, and the “response” was salivation. He believed that all learning depended on the strength of the relationship between the stimulus and the response.
Who came up with the contiguity theory?
Later behaviorists, including B.F. Skinner, Edwin Guthrie, and Ivan Pavlov, have proposed theories that relate to, or are inspired by, the work of Edward Thorndike. One such theory includes Edwin Guthrie’s Contiguity Theory.
What is the theory of Thorndike?
They are based on the assumption that human behaviour is learned. One of the early contributors to the field, American psychologist Edward L. Thorndike, postulated the Law of Effect, which stated that those behavioral responses… …arc that begins with external stimuli—as, for example, when a soldier sees the enemy, feels fear, and flees.

Who is the founder of SR theory?
Edward L. ThorndikeStimulus-response (S-R) theories are central to the principles of conditioning. They are based on the assumption that human behaviour is learned. One of the early contributors to the field, American psychologist Edward L. Thorndike, postulated the Law of Effect, which stated that those behavioral responses…
What is Thorndike's SR theory?
The learning theory of Thorndike represents the original S-R framework of behavioral psychology: Learning is the result of associations forming between stimuli and responses. Such associations or “habits” become strengthened or weakened by the nature and frequency of the S-R pairings.
Who developed the stimulus response theory?
In 1927 Pavlov conducted perhaps one of the most famous psychological experiments when he showed that by pairing a conditioned stimulus (a bell) with an unconditioned stimulus (food), a dog would begin to salivate (response) when the bell was rung without presenting the food.
What is SR bond theory of learning?
The stimulus and its response are connected in a person's mind, like associating chocolate cake with drooling. This connection between stimulus and response is called a stimulus-response bond, or an S-R bond. The stronger the S-R bond, the better a person has learned the lesson.
What are the three 3 laws of Thorndike's theory?
Edward Thorndike developed the first three laws of learning: readiness, exercise, and effect.
What T is the surname of the proponent of the SR theory?
Stimulus Response Theory was proposed by Edward Thorndike, who believed that learning boils down to two things: stimulus, and response.
What is SS theory?
One theory, called S-S theory, assumes an association between a conditioned stimulus (CS) and internal representation of an unconditioned stimulus (US), allowing the animal to adjust the CR depending on the current value of the US.
What is B.F. Skinner's theory?
Skinner) The theory of B.F. Skinner is based upon the idea that learning is a function of change in overt behavior. Changes in behavior are the result of an individual's response to events (stimuli) that occur in the environment.
What is stimulus response theory of Watson?
In simple terms, two stimuli are linked together to produce a new learned response in a person or animal. John Watson proposed that the process of classical conditioning (based on Pavlov's observations) was able to explain all aspects of human psychology.
What is SS learning?
Cognitive learning involves learning a relationship between two stimuli and thus is also called S‐S learning. Types of cognitive learning include latent learning and the formation of insights.
What is Pavlov's classical conditioning theory?
Discovered by Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov, classical conditioning is a type of unconscious or automatic learning. This learning process creates a conditioned response through associations between an unconditioned stimulus and a neutral stimulus.
What is Edward Thorndike known for?
Edward Thorndike (1898) is famous in psychology for his work on learning theory that lead to the development of operant conditioning within Behaviorism. Whereas classical conditioning depends on developing associations between events, operant conditioning involves learning from the consequences of our behavior.
What are the main features of Thorndike theory of learning?
Thorndike states that in learning is process between stimulus and respond. This theory have three main concept those are Law of Readiness Law of Exercise) and Law of Effect. In journey of his thought about this theory, Thorndike adds some law in his theory and modifies some of element in it.
What is an example of Thorndike's Law of Effect?
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. If you run a red light and then get a traffic ticket, you will be less likely to disobey traffic lights in the future.
Who developed the drive theory?
Developed in the 40s and 50s by Clark Hull and later Kenneth Spence, this theory looked to “zoom out” on behaviorism and explain the drive behind all human behavior. A stimulus and response are still crucial to this drive. Drive, Hull and Spence said, is a state that humans experience when they have a need to fulfill.
Which theory is based on the stimulus response?
Another theory that falls under the stimulus-response umbrella is Hull’s Drive-Reduction Theory . Developed in the 40s and 50s by Clark Hull and later Kenneth Spence, this theory looked to “zoom out” on behaviorism and explain the drive behind all human behavior. A stimulus and response are still crucial to this drive.
What Is Thorndike's Stimulus Response Theory of Learning?
Stimulus Response Theory was proposed by Edward Thorndike, who believed that learning boils down to two things: stimulus, and response. In Pavlov’s famous experiment, the “stimulus” was food, and the “response” was salivation. He believed that all learning depended on the strength of the relationship between the stimulus and the response.
What did Thorndike see when he pulled the lever?
He saw that the time it took to pull the lever decreased as the cats associated the lever with the fish. This helped him develop the Law of Effect.
What did Thorndike observe?
Thorndike observed the cats be placed in this box over and over again, under the same conditions. He saw that the time it took to pull the lever decreased as the cats associated the lever with the fish. This helped him develop the Law of Effect.
What is stimulus response theory?
Stimulus Response Theories attempts to explain the ways that human beings behave. Although these theories, and behaviorism as a whole, are not the forefront of modern psychology, they still serve as an important lesson about why we believe the things we believe about decision-making, behavior, and human nature.
What was the stimulus response in Pavlov's experiment?
In Pavlov’s famous experiment, the “stimulus” was food, and the “response” was salivation. Thorndike was one of the first psychologists to explain the Stimulus-Response Theory of Learning. He believed that all learning depended on the strength of the relationship between the stimulus and the response. If that relationship was strong, the response ...
Who created the law of effect?
They are based on the assumption that human behaviour is learned. One of the early contributors to the field, American psychologist Edward L. Thorndike, postulated the Law of Effect, which stated that those behavioral responses…. Read More.
What is automata theory?
automata theory#N#In automata theory: The finite automata of McCulloch and Pitts#N#Certain responses of an animal to stimuli are known by controlled observation, and, since the pioneering work of a Spanish histologist, Santiago Ramón y Cajal, in the latter part of the 19th and early part of the 20th century, many neural structures have been well known.…#N#Read More#N#In automata theory: Input: events that affect an automaton#N#… in the future, while a stimulus is a collection of individual histories extending over the past and including the present. The logical construction implies a behaviour in the guise of a listing of responses to all possible stimuli. Reciprocally, for a given behaviour of the type defined, the possible structure…#N#Read More 1 In automata theory: The finite automata of McCulloch and Pitts#N#Certain responses of an animal to stimuli are known by controlled observation, and, since the pioneering work of a Spanish histologist, Santiago Ramón y Cajal, in the latter part of the 19th and early part of the 20th century, many neural structures have been well known.…#N#Read More 2 In automata theory: Input: events that affect an automaton#N#… in the future, while a stimulus is a collection of individual histories extending over the past and including the present. The logical construction implies a behaviour in the guise of a listing of responses to all possible stimuli. Reciprocally, for a given behaviour of the type defined, the possible structure…#N#Read More
What is education theory?
education theory. In pedagogy: Conditioning and behaviourist theories. …learner comes to respond to stimuli other than the one originally calling for the response (as when dogs are taught to salivate at the sound of a bell). One says in such a situation that a new stimulus is learned.
What is the stimulus response model?
…nature of social behaviour, the stimulus–response model (in which every social act is seen as a response to the preceding act of another individual) has been generally found helpful but incomplete.
What is the simplest type of response?
The simplest type of response is a direct one-to-one stimulus-response reaction. A change in the environment is the stimulus; the reaction of the organism to it is the response. In single-celled organisms, the response is the result of a property of the cell…. Read More.

What Is Thorndike’s Stimulus Response Theory of Learning?
- Stimulus Response Theory was proposed by Edward Thorndike, who believed that learning boils down to two things: stimulus, and response. In Pavlov’s famous experiment, the “stimulus” was food, and the “response” was salivation. He believed that all learning depended on the strength of the relationship between the stimulus and the response. If that r...
Other Stimulus Response Theories
- Contiguity Theory
One such theory includes Edwin Guthrie’s Contiguity Theory.Like other Behaviorists, Guthrie believed that learning occurred when connections were made between a stimulus and a response. But his ideas went beyond exercise and readiness. The Contiguity Theory included the law of co… - Drive-Reduction Theory
Another theory that falls under the stimulus-response umbrella is Hull’s Drive-Reduction Theory. Developed in the 40s and 50s by Clark Hull and later Kenneth Spence, this theory looked to “zoom out” on behaviorism and explain the drive behind all human behavior. A stimulus and response a…
Cognitive Psychology Has Become More Relevant
- Stimulus response theories, to be blunt, can be quite simple. They are also deterministicin nature. No one wants to believe that their decisions are the result of any sort of conditioning. Additional factors, like your thought process or the experiences that have shaped you as a person, may also influence the decisions you make. Making a decision or performing a behavior often seems mor…
Can You Train Yourself Using Stimulus-Response Theory?
- Teachers are not solely relying on conditioning or behaviorism to teach their students. But, you can still use concepts from stimulus-response theory to teach yourself new behaviors. Want to make your bed every morning? Want to add 15 minutes of meditation into your routine? Maybe you want to replace having a cigarette with seltzer water or a piece of gum. Tap into the laws wit…