Puzzle box (Thorndike)

Summary

Thorndike's puzzle boxes tested cat behavior, revealing learning through trial and error. Initially, cats' successful escapes seemed random, but with practice, they quickly recalled the actions needed for food rewards. Thorndike's Law of Effect suggests that behaviors are reinforced by their consequences, explaining how even wild animals develop new habits.

Takeaways

• 🔍 Thorndike was fascinated by the process of learning new skills.
• 📦 He used puzzle boxes to study how cats learn to escape.
• 🐱 Cats initially appeared clever but didn't show insight into their behavior.
• 🤔 Thorndike believed that animals don't understand the consequences of their actions.
• 📈 He observed that successful actions were initially performed by chance.
• 📊 Thorndike used graphs to measure the learning rate over trials.
• 🐈 Practiced cats quickly recalled the actions that led to rewards.
• 🍗 Actions that resulted in rewards were 'stamped' into the cat's mind.
• 📖 In his thesis, Thorndike expanded on his theories of learning.
• 🔄 He introduced the law of effect, explaining habit formation through consequences.

Q & A

Who was Thorndike and what was his interest in learning?

Thorndike was an American psychologist who was fascinated by the process of learning. He was particularly interested in how new skills are acquired.

What did Thorndike use to study animal learning?

Thorndike used puzzle boxes to study animal learning. These boxes were designed in such a way that cats could only escape by operating latches.

What was Thorndike's observation about the cat's behavior in the puzzle box?

Thorndike observed that the cat appeared clever in engineering its escape, but he did not believe that the animal understood the consequences of its behavior.

How did Thorndike's initial observations of the cat in the puzzle box differ from his expectations?

Thorndike expected to see evidence of insight or cleverness, but instead, he found that the successful actions appeared first by chance.

What did Thorndike conclude about the process of learning based on his experiments?

Thorndike concluded that learning occurred through trial and error, and not through sudden flashes of insight.

How did Thorndike measure the rate of learning in his experiments?

Thorndike used graphs to measure the rate of learning, observing how quickly a cat could recall the actions necessary to escape the puzzle box.

What reward did Thorndike use to motivate the cats in his experiments?

The reward for the cats was food, which served as a motivation for them to learn how to escape the puzzle box.

What is the 'law of effect' that Thorndike proposed in his thesis?

The law of effect is Thorndike's theory that behavior changes because of its consequences. If an action brings a reward, it becomes more likely to be repeated.

How did Thorndike's findings apply to the development of habits in wild creatures?

Thorndike's findings suggested that even wild creatures could develop new habits through a process of trial and error, where successful behaviors were reinforced by rewards.

What role did the concept of reinforcement play in Thorndike's theory of learning?

Reinforcement played a crucial role in Thorndike's theory of learning. He believed that actions that led to rewards were 'stamped into the mind,' becoming more likely to be repeated in the future.

How did Thorndike's experiments contribute to the field of psychology?

Thorndike's experiments contributed significantly to the field of psychology by providing empirical evidence for the process of learning through trial and error, and by introducing the concept of reinforcement as a key factor in habit formation.