Thorndike's Theory of Learning

Thorndike’s Connectivism:

1.                  Connections in the nervous system between stimuli and response.

2.                  Connections illustrated by S-R

3.                  Word bond theory of learning

4.                  According to thorndike “Learning is connecting.

5.                  Learning by trial and error

6.                  No readymade solution for problem is available – trial & error method is used.

Trial & Error is based on random activities to reach the goal.

Random activities are block or hinderances, drive, goal, random movements, multiple response, chance, success, selection and fixation.

Thorndike’s Experiment on Cat:

Hungry cat is placed inside the box. Food kept outside the box work as a motive. Cat started doing random movements for getting food. Cat squeeze through opening, claws and bites at the bars of wires, thrust its paws through any opening. Out of any one random movement latch manipulated accidently. Hungry cat came out and got its reward i.e. food.

In another trial:

Hungry cat placed in a puzzle box. Food kept outside the box worked as a motive. To get out of the box cat again did random movements. But cat took less time to come out from the box. Gradually reduced and took less time on each succeeding trial. Manipulate the latch as soon as it was put in the box. Gradually cat learned the art of opening door.

Experiment sums up the following stages in the process of learning:

1.                  Drive: Hungry cat intensified by the sight of the food.

2.                  Goal: To get food by getting out of the box.

3.                  Block: The cat was confined in the box with a closed door.

4.                  Random movements: The cat persistently tried to come out of the box without knowing how.

5.                  Chance success: Striving and random movements the cat by chance succeeded in opening the door.

6.                  Selection: Gradually cat recognized the correct way to manipulate the latch.

7.                  Fixation: At last cat learned the proper way to open the door by eliminating all the incorrect responses & fixing only the right response.