Edward Thorndike cats experiment (behavioral psychology)

Summary

In 1898, psychologist Edward Thorndike conducted an experiment with cats to understand how habits form. He placed cats in puzzle boxes, where they could escape by performing simple actions like pressing a lever. Initially, the cats acted randomly, but with practice, they quickly associated the lever press with the reward of escaping and getting food. Thorndike discovered that behaviors followed by satisfying outcomes are more likely to be repeated, forming habits. This experiment laid the foundation for our understanding of how habits are learned and why our brains build them, providing key insights into human behavior.

Takeaways

• 😀 Edward Thorndike, a psychologist, conducted an experiment in 1898 to understand how habits form and guide behavior.
• 😀 Thorndike's experiment focused on studying animal behavior, specifically with cats in a puzzle box.
• 😀 The puzzle box required cats to perform simple actions, like pressing a lever or stepping on a platform, to escape and reach food.
• 😀 Initially, the cats acted randomly, but after a few trials, they learned to associate pressing the lever with escaping the box and getting food.
• 😀 With each trial, the cats became more efficient, escaping faster as the behavior became automatic and habitual.
• 😀 Thorndike tracked the cats' progress across many trials, noting a significant decrease in time taken to escape the box.
• 😀 The cat's learning process showed that behaviors followed by satisfying consequences are more likely to be repeated.
• 😀 Conversely, behaviors followed by unpleasant consequences are less likely to be repeated.
• 😀 Thorndike's work established a foundational understanding of how habits form, based on positive reinforcement and learning from experience.
• 😀 The experiment provided insights into the brain's role in building habits to make behavior more automatic and efficient over time.
• 😀 Thorndike’s research serves as the starting point for understanding the nature of habits and why they are essential for efficient behavior.

Q & A

What was the primary focus of Edward Thorndike's experiment?

Edward Thorndike's experiment focused on studying the behavior of animals, particularly cats, to understand how habits form and the rules that guide behavior.

What was the purpose of the 'puzzle box' in Thorndike's experiment?

The puzzle box was a device used to study animal behavior. It required the cat to perform a specific action, such as pressing a lever or pulling a cord, to escape and receive a reward, which was food.

How did Thorndike track the behavior of the cats in his experiment?

Thorndike tracked the behavior of each cat by recording the time it took for them to escape the puzzle box after multiple trials. He noted how their actions became quicker and more automatic over time.

What was the main observation in Thorndike’s experiment regarding the cats' learning process?

The main observation was that the cats gradually learned to associate the action of pressing the lever with the reward of escaping the box and receiving food, becoming faster and more efficient with practice.

How did the cats' behavior change over time in the puzzle box?

Initially, the cats moved around the box at random, but after repeated trials, they began to learn the correct behavior. Their escape times became shorter, and they made fewer errors with each attempt.

What did Thorndike’s experiment reveal about the relationship between behavior and consequences?

Thorndike’s experiment revealed that behaviors followed by satisfying consequences tend to be repeated, while those followed by unpleasant consequences are less likely to be repeated. This principle is known as the 'Law of Effect.'

What was the effect of repeated trials on the cats' escape times?

With repeated trials, the cats became more efficient at escaping the box. For example, a cat that initially took 160 seconds to escape could later do so in just a few seconds after several trials.

What does the experiment suggest about how habits form?

The experiment suggests that habits form through reinforcement. When a behavior leads to a satisfying outcome, the behavior becomes more automatic, while behaviors that lead to negative outcomes are less likely to be repeated.

How did Thorndike quantify the improvement in the cats' behavior?

Thorndike quantified the improvement by measuring the time it took for the cats to escape the puzzle box. As the trials progressed, the escape time decreased, demonstrating a more automatic and efficient behavior.

What role does reward play in the formation of habits according to Thorndike’s experiment?

According to Thorndike’s experiment, reward plays a critical role in reinforcing behavior. The positive reinforcement of escaping the box and receiving food strengthened the association between the action (pressing the lever) and the reward, encouraging the cat to repeat the behavior.