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<p><amp-youtube layout="responsive" width="1080" height="608" data-videoid="gOms3UcvDMw" title="Theory of Learning | Edward Thorndike"><a placeholder href="https://youtu.be/gOms3UcvDMw"><img src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/gOms3UcvDMw/hqdefault.jpg" layout="fill" object-fit="cover" alt="Theory of Learning | Edward Thorndike"></a></amp-youtube></p>
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<p><a href="https://youtu.be/gOms3UcvDMw">Edward Thorndike’s Theory of Learning </a></p>
<p>Edward Thorndike was an early psychologist who wanted to understand how animals and people learn. He believed that learning was not just something that happened in a classroom, but something that takes place everywhere in life. From a cat trying to escape a box to a student solving a math problem, Thorndike thought that learning was based on real experiences and the consequences that follow. His ideas became some of the first steps toward what we now call educational psychology.</p>
<p>One of Thorndike’s most famous experiments involved cats and puzzle boxes. He put hungry cats inside specially made boxes that could only be opened by doing a simple task, like pulling a string or stepping on a lever. Outside the box was food. The cat would move around, paw at things, and accidentally do the right action to open the door. After doing this several times, the cat would learn to open the box faster and faster. Thorndike carefully watched what the cat did and how long it took to escape each time.</p>
<p>From these experiments, Thorndike came up with a big idea that he called the Law of Effect. This law is very important and easy to understand. It says that actions that lead to something good are more likely to be repeated, while actions that lead to something unpleasant are less likely to happen again. In other words, if you do something and get a good result, you will probably do it again. If you do something and get a bad result, you will try to avoid doing it again. This is how both animals and people learn from their actions.</p>
<p>Thorndike also came up with two other important ideas: the Law of Readiness and the Law of Exercise. The Law of Readiness means that people learn best when they are mentally and physically ready to learn. For example, a child who is not in the mood to learn or who does not understand the purpose of a task may not learn well. But if that child is ready and interested, learning becomes much easier. This law shows the importance of timing and motivation in the learning process.</p>
<p>The Law of Exercise says that the more you practice something, the stronger the connection becomes between a situation and a response. In simple words, practice makes perfect. If you do something again and again, like playing a musical instrument or learning to ride a bicycle, it becomes automatic. Repeating a task builds habits, and those habits become part of your learning. However, Thorndike later changed his view and said that not all practice helps unless it leads to a good result. In other words, simply repeating something without thinking or improvement might not lead to better learning.</p>
<p>Thorndike’s work showed that learning is not just about being told what to do. It is about doing things and learning from what happens. This way of thinking moved psychology away from simply memorizing information and toward understanding how behavior is shaped by experience. He believed that learning happens through trial and error. This means that we try different actions and learn which ones work and which ones do not. Over time, we become better at choosing the right actions.</p>
<p>Thorndike’s theory was not just for animals. He believed that the same basic laws of learning applied to humans, especially in schools. His research helped teachers understand that students learn better through active engagement and real-life examples. He encouraged using rewards, practice, and readiness to help students learn more effectively. His ideas became the foundation of what later became behaviorism, a major movement in psychology that focuses on observable actions and how they are learned.</p>
<p>One thing that makes Thorndike’s theory special is that it was based on careful observation and data. He did not just guess how animals and people learn. He ran experiments, collected numbers, and looked for patterns. He believed that psychology should be a science, just like chemistry or biology. This idea helped bring more respect to psychology as a serious field of study.</p>
<p>Another major contribution from Thorndike was his work on educational testing and measurement. He wanted to find ways to measure intelligence and learning in clear and fair ways. He helped develop methods for testing students’ skills and understanding, which helped teachers know how to better support different learners. His work also helped create the idea that education should be based on research and evidence, not just tradition or opinion.</p>
<p>Thorndike’s theory of learning is also helpful in everyday life. Imagine learning how to cook. At first, you might make mistakes like adding too much salt or burning the food. But over time, you learn from these mistakes. When you do something right and the food tastes good, you remember what worked. This is the Law of Effect in action. You repeat the good habits and avoid the bad ones. The same thing happens when learning to drive, studying for exams, or building relationships.</p>
<p>Even though Thorndike’s work was focused on basic learning and behavior, his ideas are still used today. Many teachers use reward systems to encourage good behavior and effort. Parents use praise to reinforce positive habits in their children. Coaches help athletes practice skills over and over again. Therapists use behavior-based methods to help people change unwanted habits. All of this comes from Thorndike’s early work in showing that learning is shaped by experience and outcomes.</p>
<p>Thorndike also believed in the importance of connecting learning with real life. He said that the best kind of learning is when people can use what they learn in one situation and apply it in another. This idea is called transfer of learning. For example, if a student learns how to solve a math problem in school, the goal is for them to use that skill when managing money or planning a trip. He encouraged teachers to make lessons meaningful and practical, so that students could carry the lessons with them into the real world.</p>
<p>Of course, no theory is perfect. Some later psychologists thought that Thorndike’s ideas were too simple. They said that learning is not just about rewards and punishment, but also involves thinking, understanding, and emotion. Other researchers added to Thorndike’s work and developed more detailed theories. Still, his ideas laid the foundation for much of what we know about learning today.</p>
<p>In summary, Edward Thorndike’s theory of learning helped show how people and animals learn through experience. His ideas about the Law of Effect, the Law of Readiness, and the Law of Exercise helped shape the way we think about education, behavior, and psychology. He believed that we learn by doing, by trying, and by noticing what works and what does not. His research helped move psychology forward and gave teachers and parents better ways to help children learn. Whether you are a student, a teacher, or just someone who wants to understand how learning works, Thorndike’s theory offers simple but powerful tools.</p>
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<div id="attachment_2265" style="width: 166px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-2265" class=" wp-image-2265" src="https://sociologylearners.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Khushdil-Khan-Kasi-300x300.jpg" alt="Khushdil khan kasi" width="156" height="156" /><p id="caption-attachment-2265" class="wp-caption-text"><strong>By Khushdil Khan Kasi</strong></p></div>
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