Connectionism theory of Edward Lee Thorndike, a report prepared for Systems and Theories of Psychology...

1. Prepared by: Maria Angela L. Diopol
MP-SP
Edward Lee Thorndike
Connectionism Theory

2. Born: August 31, 1874
Died: August 9, 1949
1895 – Animal Learning under William
James
1898 – PhD in Columbia University
- Asst. Professor at Case Western
Reserve University
1900 - Married Elizabeth
- Psychology Professor at
Teacher’s College, Columbia University
1912 - President of the American
Psychological Association
1917 - admitted to National Academy of
Sciences
1949 - Retirement at Teachers’ College
Edward Lee “Ted” Thorndike

3. Definition of Psychology
• Psychology was first and foremost the
study of stimulus-response
connections or bonds

4. THORNDIKE’S LAWS OF
LEARNING

5. Trial-And-Error Learning
• Based on random activities to
reach the goal

6. Law of Readiness
• States that when an organism is ready
to act it is reinforcing for it to do so,
and annoying for it not to do so.

7. Law of Exercise
• States that the strength of a
connection is determined by
how often the connection is
used.

8. Modification of the Law of
Exercise
• Practice worked only when other factors
could be made effective.

9. Law of Effect
• The strengthening or weakening of a
connection by its consequences.

10. Modification of the Law of Effect
• Satisfaction strengthen the connection but
annoyance does not weaken it; rather,
annoyance aids learning as it encourages
the learner to try something new.

11. The Spread of Effect
• The observation is that reinforcement not
only strengthens the response that
produces it, but that it strengthens
neighboring responses as well.

12. Theory of Transfer
• States that the likelihood of something
which was learned in one situation
being applied in a different situation is
determined by the number of common
elements in the two situations.

13. • Faculty
Psychology
1. Drive
2. Goal
3. Block
4. Random
movements
5. Chance
Success
6. Selection
7. Fixation
1.Abstract
Intelligence
2. Social
Intelligence
3. Mechanical
Intelligence
• Doctrine of
Formal
Discipline
• Stages in the
Process of
Learning
• 3 Types of
Intelligence
Education