Edward Lee Thorndike
Edward Lee Thorndike
Edward Lee Thorndike
August 9, 1949) was an American psychologist who spent nearly his entire career
at Teachers College, Columbia University. His work on animal behavior and the
learning process led to the theory of connectionism and helped lay the scientific
foundation for modern educational psychology. He also worked on solving
industrial problems, such as employee exams and testing. He was a member of the
board of the Psychological Corporation, and served as president of the American
Psychological Association in 1912.[2][3]
On August 29, 1900, he wed Elizabeth Moulton and they had five children.[5]
Thorndike graduated from The Roxbury Latin School (1891), in West Roxbury,
Massachusetts, Wesleyan University (B.S. 1895), Harvard University (M.A.
1897), and Columbia University (PhD. 1898).[1]
[edit] Connectionism
Among Thorndike's most notable contributions involved his research on how cats
learned to escape from puzzle boxes and his related formulation of the law of
effect.[3][6] The law of effect states that responses that are closely followed by
satisfying consequences become associated with the situation, and are more likely
to recur when the situation is subsequently encountered. If the responses are
followed by aversive consequences, associations to the situation become weaker.
[6]
The puzzle box experiments were motivated in part by Thorndike's dislike for
statements that animals made use of extraordinary faculties such as insight in their
problem solving: "In the first place, most of the books do not give us a
psychology, but rather a eulogy of animals. They have all been about animal
intelligence, never about animal stupidity."[7]
Thorndike meant to distinguish clearly whether or not cats escaping from puzzle
boxes were using insight. Thorndike's instruments in answering this question were
learning curves revealed by plotting the time it took for an animal to escape the
box each time it was in the box. He reasoned that if the animals were showing
insight, then their time to escape would suddenly drop to a negligible period,
which would also be shown in the learning curve as an abrupt drop; while animals
using a more ordinary method of trial and error would show gradual curves. His
finding was that cats consistently showed gradual learning.
Thorndike also studied auxiliary languages and influenced the work of the
International Auxiliary Language Association, which developed Interlingua.[8]
Thorndike was one of the first pioneers of active learning, a theory that proposes
letting children learn themselves, rather than receiving instruction from teachers.
In the preface to the third book, Thorndike writes that the list contained therein
“tells anyone who wishes to know whether to use a word in writing, speaking, or
teaching how common the word is in standard English reading matter” (p. x), and
he further advises that the list can best be employed by teachers if they allow it to
guide the decisions they make choosing which words to emphasize during reading
instruction. Some words require more emphasis than others, and, according to
Thorndike, his list informs teachers of the most frequently occurring words that
should be reinforced by instruction and thus become “a permanent part of
[students’] stock of word knowledge” (p. xi). If a word is not on the list but
appears in an educational text, its meaning only needs to be understood
temporarily in the context in which it was found, and then summarily discarded
from memory.
In Appendix A to the second book, Thorndike gives credit to his word counts and
how frequencies were assigned to particular words. Selected sources extrapolated
from Appendix A are:
[edit] Notes
1. ^ a b "Dushkin Biography".
http://www.dushkin.com/connectext/psy/ch06/bio6a.mhtml. Retrieved
2008-01-26.
2. ^ Saettler, 2004, pp.52-56
3. ^ a b Zimmerman, Barry J.; Schunk, Dale H. (2003), Educational
Psychology: A Century of Contributions, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates,
ISBN 0805836829
4. ^ "Psychology History - Biography".
http://www.muskingum.edu/~psych/psycweb/history/thorndike.htm.
Retrieved 2008-01-26.
5. ^ Roger Hiemstra (1998-11-01). "Syracuse University Genealogical Data -
Biography". http://www-distance.syr.edu/pvitaelt.html. Retrieved 2008-
01-26.
6. ^ a b Curren, 2003, p.265
7. ^ Thorndike, 1911, p.22.
8. ^ Esterhill, 2000
[edit] References
• Hergenhahn, B.R.; Olson, Matthew H. (2005), An Introduction to the
Theories of Learning, Pearson Education, ISBN 978-81-317-2056-1.
• Curren, Randall R. (2003), A Companion to the Philosophy of Education,
Blackwell Publishing, ISBN 0631228373.
• Esterhill, Frank J. (2000), Interlingua Institute: A History, Interlingua
Institute, ISBN 0917848020.
• Saettler, L. Paul (2004), Evolution of American Educational Technology,
IAP, ISBN 1593111398.
• Thorndike, Edward Lee (1911), Animal Intelligence, Macmillan,
http://books.google.com/?id=LC7GeCzw0lQC.
• Zimmerman, Barry J.; Schunk, Dale H. (2003), Educational Psychology:
A Century of Contributions, Lawrence Erlbaum Associate,
ISBN 0805836829.
• Goodenough, Florence L. (1950).Edward Lee Thorndike: 1874-1949. The
American Journal of Psychology. 63, 291-301.
Edward Lee Thorndike (31 Agustus 1874 Williamsburg, Massachusetts [1] - 9
Agustus 1949) adalah seorang psikolog Amerika yang menghabiskan hampir
seluruh karirnya di Teachers College, Columbia University. Karyanya pada
perilaku hewan dan proses belajar menyebabkan teori connectionism dan
membantu meletakkan dasar ilmiah untuk psikologi pendidikan modern. Dia juga
bekerja pada pemecahan masalah industri, seperti ujian karyawan dan pengujian.
Dia adalah seorang anggota dewan Corporation psikologis, dan menjabat sebagai
presiden American Psychological Association pada tahun 1912. [2] [3]
1. Bentuk paling dasar dari belajar adalah trial and error belajar.
2. Belajar incremental tidak berwawasan.
3. Belajar tidak dimediasi oleh ide-ide.
4. Semua mamalia belajar dengan cara yang sama.
5. Hukum kesiapan: Interferensi dengan perilaku tujuan diarahkan
menyebabkan frustrasi dan menyebabkan seseorang untuk melakukan
sesuatu yang mereka tidak ingin lakukan adalah juga frustasi.
Thorndike terdiri tiga buku kata yang berbeda untuk membantu guru-
guru dengan kata dan instruksi membaca. Setelah penerbitan buku
pertama dalam seri, sang Guru Word Book (1921), dua buku lain ditulis
dan diterbitkan, masing-masing sekitar satu dekade terpisah dari
pendahulunya. Buku kedua dalam seri, judul penuh menjadi A Guru
Firman Kitab Kata Puluh Ribu Ditemukan Paling Sering dan luas Umum
Membaca untuk Anak-anak dan Young People, diterbitkan pada tahun
1932, dan buku ketiga dan terakhir, The Guru Firman Book dari 30.000
Kata, diterbitkan pada tahun 1944.
* Psikologi pendidikan
* Halo efek
* Hukum efek
* Prinsip-prinsip pembelajaran
* Robert Thorndike
* William James
[Sunting] Catatan
1. ^ B "Dushkin Biografi".
http://www.dushkin.com/connectext/psy/ch06/bio6a.mhtml. Diperoleh
2008/01/26.
2. ^ Saettler, 2004, pp.52-56
3. Ab ^ Zimmerman, Barry J.; Schunk, Dale H. (2003), Psikologi
Pendidikan: Sebuah Century Kontribusi, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates,
ISBN 0805836829
4. ^ "Sejarah Psikologi - Biografi". http://www.muskingum.edu/ ~
psikologi / psycweb / sejarah / thorndike.htm. Diperoleh 2008/01/26.
5. ^ Roger Hiemstra (1998/11/01). "Data Syracuse University Silsilah
- Biography". http://www-distance.syr.edu/pvitaelt.html. Diperoleh
2008/01/26.
6. ^ A, b Curren, 2003, p.265
7. ^ Thorndike, 1911, hal.22.
8. ^ Esterhill, 2000
[Sunting] Referensi