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    Theories of Learning

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    RISHI RANA
    Thorndike's theory of trial and error learning posits that learning occurs through repeated attempts and experiences. According to the theory, when faced with a new situation, random responses are initially made before successful responses are strengthened through rewards like food. Thorndike's experiments with puzzle boxes demonstrated that as trials increased for cats, errors in opening the box to access food decreased. The cats went from making many random movements to quickly learning to directly manipulate the latch to open the door.

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    Theories of Learning

    Uploaded by

    RISHI RANA
    64 views3 pages
    Thorndike's theory of trial and error learning posits that learning occurs through repeated attempts and experiences. According to the theory, when faced with a new situation, random responses are initially made before successful responses are strengthened through rewards like food. Thorndike's experiments with puzzle boxes demonstrated that as trials increased for cats, errors in opening the box to access food decreased. The cats went from making many random movements to quickly learning to directly manipulate the latch to open the door.

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    Thorndike's theory of trial and error learning posits that learning occurs through repeated attempts and experiences. According to the theory, when faced with a new situation, random responses are initially made before successful responses are strengthened through rewards like food. Thorndike's experiments with puzzle boxes demonstrated that as trials increased for cats, errors in opening the box to access food decreased. The cats went from making many random movements to quickly learning to directly manipulate the latch to open the door.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as ODT, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as odt, pdf, or txt
    64 views3 pages

    Theories of Learning

    Uploaded by

    RISHI RANA
    Thorndike's theory of trial and error learning posits that learning occurs through repeated attempts and experiences. According to the theory, when faced with a new situation, random responses are initially made before successful responses are strengthened through rewards like food. Thorndike's experiments with puzzle boxes demonstrated that as trials increased for cats, errors in opening the box to access food decreased. The cats went from making many random movements to quickly learning to directly manipulate the latch to open the door.

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    Theories of Learning:

     Psychologists have tried to explain how people learn and why


    they learn. They have conducted many experiments on animals
    and children and come to certain definite conclusions which
    explain the modes of learning.

     These are called as theories of learning. In many books, these


    explanations are treated as kinds of learning. In a sense it is
    true. But the term learning is very comprehensive. It covers a
    wide range of activities which cannot be explained within a
    limited framework. There are many theories explaining modes
    of learning. Important among them are:

    Trial and Error Learning Theory:

     This theory was developed by an American psychologist EL


    Thorndike (1874-1949). He argues that learning takes place through
    trial and error method. According to him learning is a gradual
    process where the individual will make many attempts to learn. The
    essence of this theory is-as the trials increase, the errors decrease.

     This is possible because of association formed between sense


    impressions and impulses to action. Such an association comes to
    be known as a ‘bond’ or a ‘connection, because it is these bonds or
    connections which become strengthened or weakened in making
    and breaking of habits. According to this theory when an individual
    is placed in a new situation, he makes a number of random
    movements. Among them, those which are unsuccessful are
    eliminated and the successful ones are fixed.

     These random movements are not eliminated at once. In the first


    attempt their number is very large, in the second attempt the
    number of errors diminishes and the range of activity becomes
    narrower. Gradually the individual learns to avoid unnecessary
    movements and reaches the goal. Improvement takes place through
    repetition.

     Thorndike studies the character of trial and error learning in a


    number of experiments on cats-using a box which he called ‘puzzle
    box’. In one of the experiments a hungry cat was placed in the box
    and the door was closed which could be opened by pressing a Latch.
    A fish was placed outside the box in a plate.

     The cat could see this fish. The cat was given 100 trials-ten in the
    morning and ten in each afternoon for five days. The cat was fed at
    the end of each experimental period and then was given nothing
    more to eat until after the next session. If, succeeded in opening the
    door in any trial by chance, he went to eat food (fish). A complete
    record was made of the cat’s behaviour during each trial.

     In the beginning the cat made a number of random movements like


    biting, clawing, dashing, etc. gradually in subsequent trials the cat
    reduced the incorrect responses (errors), as it was in a position to
    manipulate the latch as soon as it was put in the box.

     This experiment revealed that the random movements were


    decreased gradually, that is-as the trials increased the errors
    decreased. As the trials increased the solution to open the door
    (pressing the latch) was discovered and at the end, the cat could
    open the door with zero error. The time taken in each trial was
    eventually reduced.

     Thorndike conducted many experiments with maze and puzzle box


    learning in which cats and rats were used. He has demonstrated
    that through numerous trials the animal learns much and gradually
    improves his effort.

     We all learn many skills like swimming, cycling, riding, etc.,


    through this method. Children learn to sit, stand, walk, and run by
    this method only. However, this method involves considerable
    waste of time and effort.

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