Thorndike

Thorndike was prominent American Psychologist who contributed significantly to the development of the
behavioral psychology.

Thorndike Theory emphasize the significance of reinforcement, Punishment in shaping behavior which has
been widely in various Field of Psychology.

Edward Thorndike

- One of the pioneers of educational psychology

- He became famous for formulating the three laws of learning in the early 20th century.
 The Law of Readiness
 The Law of Exercise
 The Law of Effect

These laws are universally accepted and apply to all kinds of learnings;

The Laws of Readiness

The primary law of learning also known as the “Laws of an action Tendency”.

This law suggest that learnings takes places when an action tendency is aroused through preparation adjustment,
set, or attitude. Hence readiness means a preparation of action, for Thorndike if one is not prepared to learn,
then learning cannot be automatically instilled in him.

The Law of Exercise

This law suggest that drill or practice helps in increasing efficiency and durability of learning. Thorndike’s laws
of exercise are also referred to as the “Law of Use and Disuse” suggest that the connections or bond made in
the brain cortex are strengthened if the person exercise his brain.

The Law of Effect

This law states that those behavioral response that were most closely followed by a satisfying result were most
likely to become established patterns and to occur again in response to the same stimulants.

Thorndike modified the law of effect to states that rewards for appropriate behavior always substantially
strengthened associations. Punishment for inappropriate response only slightly weakened the association
between the stimulus and the wrong response.

If the response to the stimulus satisfies the subject

- It is learned and selected while those responses that are not satisfying are eliminated.

In the context of education

- Would have us believe that ‘teaching’ must be satisfying or pleasing.

The educator must see to its that his students are pleased or at least satisfied of what are being fed to them.