AP PSYCHOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Thorndike, postulated the Law of Effect, which stated that those behavioral responses (R) that were most closely followed by a satisfactory result were most likely to become established patterns and to reoccur in response to the same stimulus (S).

Detailed explanation-2: -Thorndike would place a cat inside the puzzle box and then place a piece of meat outside the box. He would then observe the animal’s efforts to escape and obtain the food. He recorded how long each animal took to figure out how to free itself from the box.

Detailed explanation-3: -Edward Thorndike put forward a “Law of effect” which stated that any behavior that is followed by pleasant consequences is likely to be repeated, and any behavior followed by unpleasant consequences is likely to be stopped.

Detailed explanation-4: -Thorndike was the first to apply psychological principles to the area of learning. His research led to many theories and laws of learning. His theory of learning, especially the law of effect, is most often considered to be his greatest achievement.