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Edward Lee Thorndike: Connectionism, trail and error learning, identical elements theory, effect of laws and gestalt psychology.
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Williamsburg,
Massachusetts on Aug.
Psychology ”. Worked
with James and Cattell.
Intelligence (1911). (1874-1949)
faculty.frostburg.edu
3
experimental
psychologist.
theory.
(1874-1949)
faculty.frostburg.edu
4
Descartes
(1596-1650)
Humans and non-human animals
functioned similarly based on
mechanical principles however this
did not spark any behavioral studies
in animals.
Darwin
(1809-1882)
Initiated animal research suggesting
that humans and animals had similar
anatomy, emotions and cognitions.
The Expression of Emotions in Man
and Animals (1872), considered first
text on comparative psychology.
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Romanes
(1848-1894)
Supported the idea of continuity of
intelligence, emotional behavior
anecdotally among species,
anthropomorphizing human traits in
animals. Animal Intelligence (1882).
Morgan
(1842-1936)
“We should not attribute a behavior
to complex cognitive processes when
it can be explained with one that is
less complex (Hergenhan, 1997)”.
Introduction to Comparative
Psychology (1891).
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Washburn
(1871-1939)
First woman to have a PhD., in
psychology. Started conducting
laboratory experiments with animals,
but no controls. The Animal Mind,
Thorndike
(1874-1949)
Thorndike brought methodological
innovations in animal and human
experimentation. Carefully described
behavior with proper experimental
and control conditions.
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Learning is incremental (blue line) and not insightful
(red line). Animal learns by doing not by thinking or
reasoning.
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
4 8 12 16 20 24 28 32 36 40
Successive Trials
Time to Escape (Seconds)
Trial and Error Learning
Insight Learning
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Escape
response
Food Pole
Food
Salivation Bell
Classical Conditioning
In trail-and-error learning behavior is instrumental
(useful) in bringing the about reinforcement.
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When a conduction unit (animal) is ready to
conduct (respond), conduction by it is satisfying …
not to conduct is annoying… when NOT ready to
conduct and is forced to conduct is annoying.
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Part I (Law of Use) : Connections between a
stimulus and a response are strengthened as they
are used.
Part II (Law of Disuse): Connections between
stimulus and response are weakened when practice
is discontinued, or if the neural bond is not used.
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Part I: A connection between stimulus and the
response is strengthened if the consequence of
such a connection is a satisfying state of affairs.
Part II: A connection between stimulus and the
response is weakened if the consequence of such a
connection is a annoying state of affairs.
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Set or attitude are subject variables and are as
important in a learning situation as any other
variable. So what the learner brings to the learning
situation is his set, temporary conditions (drive,
fatigue) and permanent conditions (heredity,
intelligence and previous experience).
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During learning the animal pays attention to the
significant (prepotent) stimulus element. In case of
the cat in the puzzle box, pole becomes the
prepotent element for learning to escape.
Apparatus Laboratory Animal
Puzzle box
Strings
Pole
Light
Temperature
Noise
Humidity
Drives
Temperaments
Heredity
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Traditionally transfer of training generally consist of
two phases, a training phase and a testing phase. In
the testing phase (Task 2) the individual can show
improvement (+), no change (0) or deterioration (-).
Training (Task 1) Testing (Task 2)
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If we learn to use a dictionary (Task 1) and later with
ease use a phonebook (Task 2), transfer is positive. If
we learn list of English words (Task 1) and then find
it difficult to learn Spanish words (Task 2) the
transfer becomes negative.
Training (Task 1) Testing (Task 2) Transfer
Dictionary Phone Book Positive
List of
English words
List of
Spanish words
Negative
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Faculty psychologists argued that if a mental faculty
was trained on a task, it transferred to other tasks. If
one disciplines reasoning (faculty) by practicing
math, one becomes a better logician. So transfer of
training, for formal discipline was based on
exercising a “mental muscle”.
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Thorndike argued against formal discipline. He
suggested that responses made in familiar situations
(Task 1) are analogously used in unfamiliar situations
(Task 2). Responses are based on identical stimulus
elements in the two situations.
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In September 1929, Thorndike stood before the
International Congress of Psychology in New Haven,
Connecticut and started his address by saying “I was
wrong… ”
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This law was totally abandoned. Practice (repetition)
little affect on learning.
"The repetition of a situation may change a man as
little as the repetition of a message over a wire
changes the wire. In and of itself, it may teach him
as little as the messages teaches the switchboard...
The more frequent connections are not selected by
their greater frequency (Thorndike, 1935)”.
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Satisfying state of affairs led to strengthening S-R
connections. However, the other half of this law was
abandoned. Punishment (annoying state of affairs)
had little or no effect on weakening the S-R bond.
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Belongingness
In addition to contiguity and reinforcement
(satisfying state of affairs) belongingness played an
important role in Thorndike’s learning theory. All
those S-R connections strengthened if the elements
of association somehow belonged together.
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10 Sentences
Lincoln Blake and his uncle listened gladly. Jackson
Craig and his son struggled often…
What word came after the word gladly? (Contiguity)
Average correct associations = 2.
What came after the word struggled? (Belongingness)
Average correct associations = 21.
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experimenter, recall increased. However when
the experimenter punished (wrong) the
participant recall was not weakened.
increased if they were close to the reinforced
response (4) suggesting a spread of effect.
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scientifically.
applied to these practices.
they know what responses to look for, and
which satisfiers to give.
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Contributions Criticisms
Thorndike pioneered the
scientific study of learning and
proposed a formal theory of
learning.
Law of effect is circular,
because the organism needs
to be aware of satisfying
effects of reinforcement.
Proposed the backward effect
of reinforcement on
strengthening S-R bond.
Confirming reaction.
Reduced human behavior to
automatic reactions
(determinism).
Discarded formal discipline
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Thorndike defended himself against the last criticism
by saying that in order to study a phenomenon like
learning one needs to reduce it down so that all
variables that affect behavior could be studied.
Science & technology provides us with the control of
these variables to bring benefit to mankind.
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belongingness. How does Thorndike argues
against Gestalt’s ideas of using this concept, by
using the principle of polarity.
identical elements in a familiar and an
unfamiliar situation result in the transfer of
training.
