the door of
using several different cats, placing
attention to cats, inventing “puzzle
the box. In time, the cat would
each one in a series of puzzle boxes
boxes” to observe their ability to
discover the device, which would
that were opened by different
learn mechanisms for escape.
allow it to escape and receive a
devices. What Thorndike noticed
A hungry cat was locked inside
reward of food. The process was
was that although the cats had all
a puzzle box, and by exploring its
repeated and it was noted how long
discovered the escape mechanism
environment would come across
it took for the cat to open the puzzle
by trial and error in their first ❯❯
64 EDWARD THORNDIKE
as a neural connection. When
stimulus-response sequences
are followed by an annoying or
unpleasant state of affairs (such
as continued imprisonment or
punishment), the neural connections
between the situation and response
are weakened, until eventually
“profitless acts are stamped out.”
This focus on the outcome of a
stimulus and its response, and the
idea that the outcome could work
back to strengthen the stimulus-
response connection, is an example
of what would later be called a
reinforcement theory of learning.
Reinforcement, and the importance
of outcomes, was virtually ignored
by psychologists in the next
generation of behaviorists, such
The Law of Effect , proposed by Thorndike, forms
as John B. Watson, but the Law of
the foundation of all behaviorist psychology. He
Effect brilliantly anticipated the
demonstrated that animals learn by forging links
between actions and results, remembering more
work of B.F. Skinner and his theory
positive outcomes and forgetting negative ones.
of “operant conditioning.”
In later research, Thorndike
refined the Law of Effect to take
attempt, on successive occasions
between a stimulus (S) and a
into account other variables, such
the amount of trial and error
response (R), a corresponding
as the delay between response and
gradually decreased as the cats
neural connection is made in the
reward, the effect of repetition of a
learned which actions were going
brain. He referred to his brand of
task, and how quickly a task was
to be fruitless and which would
S-R learning as “connectionism,”
forgotten when it was not repeated.
lead to a reward.
asserting that the connections
From this, he derived his Law
made during learning are “stamped
of Exercise, which states that
The Law of Effect
in” the circuitry of the brain.
As a result of these experiments
What Thorndike proposed was
Thorndike proposed his Law of
that it is the outcome of an action
Effect, which states that a response
that determines how strongly or
to a situation that results in a
weakly the stimulus-response
satisfying outcome is more likely
connection is stamped in; in the
to occur again in the future; and
case of the puzzle boxes, whether
The intellect, character, and
conversely, that a response to
pulling a string or pushing a panel
skill possessed by any man
a situation that results in an
resulted in escape or frustration.
are the product of certain
unsatisfying outcome is less likely
In other words, when particular
original tendencies and
to occur again. This was the first
stimulus-response sequences are
the training which they
formal statement of an idea that lies
followed by a satisfying or pleasant
have received.
behind all behavorist psychology,
state of affairs (such as escape or a
Edward Thorndike
the connection between stimulus
reward), those responses tend to
and response and its relevance
become “more firmly connected
to the process of learning and
with the situation, so that, when it
behavior. Thorndike proposed
recurs, they will be more likely to
that when a connection is made
recur.” They become “stamped in”
BEHAVIORISM 65
intelligence, never about animal
stupidity,” he wrote. The fact that
his cats in
using several different cats, placing
attention to cats, inventing “puzzle
the box. In time, the cat would
each one in a series of puzzle boxes
boxes” to observe their ability to
discover the device, which would
that were opened by different
learn mechanisms for escape.
allow it to escape and receive a
devices. What Thorndike noticed
A hungry cat was locked inside
reward of food. The process was
was that although the cats had all
a puzzle box, and by exploring its
repeated and it was noted how long
discovered the escape mechanism
environment would come across
it took for the cat to open the puzzle
by trial and error in their first ❯❯
64 EDWARD THORNDIKE
as a neural connection. When
stimulus-response sequences
are followed by an annoying or
unpleasant state of affairs (such
as continued imprisonment or
punishment), the neural connections
between the situation and response
are weakened, until eventually
“profitless acts are stamped out.”
This focus on the outcome of a
stimulus and its response, and the
idea that the outcome could work
back to strengthen the stimulus-
response connection, is an example
of what would later be called a
reinforcement theory of learning.
Reinforcement, and the importance
of outcomes, was virtually ignored
by psychologists in the next
generation of behaviorists, such
The Law of Effect , proposed by Thorndike, forms
as John B. Watson, but the Law of
the foundation of all behaviorist psychology. He
Effect brilliantly anticipated the
demonstrated that animals learn by forging links
between actions and results, remembering more
work of B.F. Skinner and his theory
positive outcomes and forgetting negative ones.
of “operant conditioning.”
In later research, Thorndike
refined the Law of Effect to take
attempt, on successive occasions
between a stimulus (S) and a
into account other variables, such
the amount of trial and error
response (R), a corresponding
as the delay between response and
gradually decreased as the cats
neural connection is made in the
reward, the effect of repetition of a
learned which actions were going
brain. He referred to his brand of
task, and how quickly a task was
to be fruitless and which would
S-R learning as “connectionism,”
forgotten when it was not repeated.
lead to a reward.
asserting that the connections
From this, he derived his Law
made during learning are “stamped
of Exercise, which states that
The Law of Effect
in” the circuitry of the brain.
As a result of these experiments
What Thorndike proposed was
Thorndike proposed his Law of
that it is the outcome of an action
Effect, which states that a response
that determines how strongly or
to a situation that results in a
weakly the stimulus-response
satisfying outcome is more likely
connection is stamped in; in the
to occur again in the future; and
case of the puzzle boxes, whether
The intellect, character, and
conversely, that a response to
pulling a string or pushing a panel
skill possessed by any man
a situation that results in an
resulted in escape or frustration.
are the product of certain
unsatisfying outcome is less likely
In other words, when particular
original tendencies and
to occur again. This was the first
stimulus-response sequences are
the training which they
formal statement of an idea that lies
followed by a satisfying or pleasant
have received.
behind all behavorist psychology,
state of affairs (such as escape or a
Edward Thorndike
the connection between stimulus
reward), those responses tend to
and response and its relevance
become “more firmly connected
to the process of learning and
with the situation, so that, when it
behavior. Thorndike proposed
recurs, they will be more likely to
that when a connection is made
recur.” They become “stamped in”
BEHAVIORISM 65
intelligence, never about animal
stupidity,” he wrote. The fact that
his cats in
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