In this article, you will read the major three laws propounded by Thorndike on his theory of connectionism. He reveals that the foundation of learning is the association between sense impressions and impulses to action. The implications of the theory are also discussed.
According to Thorndike, the fundamental of learning is the association between sense impressions and impulses to action (stimuli and responses). These associations become strengthened, or weakened by the nature and frequency of the stimuli-responses pairings.
This means that an organism will repeat the behaviour if it obtains a pleasant or satisfying stimulus after first demonstrating it. He therefore postulated that learning in an organism involves the act of selecting the most appropriate response and associating it with specific problems or stimuli. Thorndike then described this type of theory as learning by “trial and error” or “trial and success”.
Eventually, it succeeded in operating the mechanism, which paved way for its escape and obtaining the food. On the subsequent attempt, the random movement was reduced, and the cat concentrated much on the direction of the release mechanism until it was able to escape again. The help of the “release mechanism” made it possible for the cat to succeed in its escape, hence this type of learning is also known as “instrumental conditioning”.
In arriving at this theory, a cat was put in a puzzle box, with food outside it. The logic was that the cat has to escape before it could get the food. There was a release mechanism inside which the cat would operate before it could get outside. In the process, the cat made a series of effort to get outside.
In line with the experiment performed above, Thorndike came up with a set of laws which are believed to be responsible for learning in organisms. These are the laws of readiness, exercises and effect.
Thorndike believed that “any act that produces a satisfying effect will be repeated”. The principle of effect is that learning is strengthened when accompanied by an enjoyable or satisfying feeling and that learning is weakened when associated with an unpleasant feeling. The student will strive to continue doing what provides a pleasant effect to continue learning. Positive reinforcement is more apt to lead to success and motivate the learner, so the instructor should recognize and commend improvement.
Introduction Dive into the complex world of genetics and intelligence as we explore the fascinating…
Hollands’ Career Typology Theory is based on the following assumptions: that the choice of a…
A pioneer in the field, Parsons developed the Trait and Factor Theory of Career Choice,…
Anne Roe's Personality Theory of career choice grew out of a series of investigations of…
Today, we'll be exploring the different types of guidance and counselling, each with its unique…
Before getting the insight into the basic counselling skills, let us get to understand the…