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lecture 5

The document discusses learning theories, focusing on behavioral, cognitive constructivism, and the principles of trial and error learning proposed by Edward Lee Thorndike. It outlines Thorndike's experiments, particularly with a cat in a puzzle box, and introduces his laws of learning: the Law of Readiness, Law of Exercise, and Law of Effect, emphasizing the importance of motivation, practice, and reinforcement in the learning process. Educational implications of these laws highlight the need for teachers to consider students' readiness and provide appropriate practice and rewards to enhance learning outcomes.

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29 views12 pages

lecture 5

The document discusses learning theories, focusing on behavioral, cognitive constructivism, and the principles of trial and error learning proposed by Edward Lee Thorndike. It outlines Thorndike's experiments, particularly with a cat in a puzzle box, and introduces his laws of learning: the Law of Readiness, Law of Exercise, and Law of Effect, emphasizing the importance of motivation, practice, and reinforcement in the learning process. Educational implications of these laws highlight the need for teachers to consider students' readiness and provide appropriate practice and rewards to enhance learning outcomes.

Uploaded by

mareenak57
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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LEARNING Week 5

THEORIES Lecture 9+10


LEARNING THEORY
 A learning theory is an attempt to describe how people and animals learn,
thereby helping us understands the inherently complex process of
learning.
 The three main categories or philosophical frameworks under which
learning theories fall are behavioural , cognitive constructivism , and .
Behaviourism focuses only on the objectively observable aspects of
learning. Cognitive theories look beyond behaviour to explain brain-
based learning. In addition, constructivism views learning as a process in
which the learner actively constructs or builds new ideas or concepts.
 We will discuss the behavioural theories under two broad categories:

 S-R theories. • S-R (Stimulus-Response) theory with reinforcement

o E.L Thorndike- Trial and Error theory


o B.F Skinner- Operant Conditioning
• S-R (Stimulus-Response) theory without reinforcement
o Pavlov- Classical Conditioning
 E.L Thorndike- Trial and Error Theory of
Learning
 Edward Lee Thorndike (1874-1949)
was the first American psychologist
who put forward the Trial and Error
Theory of learning.
S-R  According to Thorndike, all learning
(STIMULUS- takes place because of formation of
RESPONSE) bond or connection between stimulus
THEORY WITH and response.
REINFORCEME  He further says that learning takes

NT place through a process of


approximation and correction.
 A person makes a number of trials,
some responses do not give
satisfaction to the individual but he
goes on making further trials until he
gets satisfactory responses.
THORNDIKE'S EXPERIMENT
 Thorndike conducted a number of experiments
on animals to explain the process of learning.
His most widely quoted experiment is with a cat
placed in a puzzle box. Thorndike put a hungry
cat in a puzzle box. The box had one door, which
could be opened by manipulating a latch of the
door. A fish was placed outside the box. The cat
being hungry had the motivation of eating fish
outside the box. However, the obstacle was the
latch on the door. The cat made random
movements inside the box indicating trial and
error type of behaviour biting at the box,
scratching the box, walking around, pulling and
jumping etc. to come out to get the food. Now in
the course of her movements, the latch was
manipulated accidently and the cat came out to
get the food. Over a series of successive trials,
the cat took shorter and shorter time,
committed less number of errors, and was in a
position to manipulate the latch as soon as it
was put in the box and learnt the art of opening
CONTI..
Thorndike concluded that it was only
after many random trials that the cat
was able to hit upon the solutions. He
named it as Trial and Error Learning. An
analysis of the learning behaviour of
the cat in the box shows that besides
trial and error the principles of goal,
motivation, explanation and
reinforcement are involved in the
process of learning by Trial and Error.
LAWS OF
LEARNIN
G
1. LAW OF READINESS
 This law refers to the fact that learning takes place only when the
learner is prepared to learn. No amount of efforts can make the child
learn if the child is not ready to learn.
 The dictum that ‘you can lead a horse to the pond but you can’t
make it drink water unless it feels thirsty’ goes very well with this
law. In other words, if the child is ready to learn, he/she learns more
quickly, effectively and with greater satisfaction than if he/she is not
ready to learn.
 In the words of Thorndike the three stages of this Law of Readiness
are : •
 For a conduction unit ready to conduct, to conduct is satisfying. •

 For a conduction unit ready to conduct, not to conduct is annoying. •

 For a conduction unit not ready to conduct, to conduct is annoying.


Thus, the Law of Readiness means mental preparation for action. It is
not to force the child to learn if he is not ready. Learning failures are
the result of forcing the learner to learn when he is not ready to learn
something.
EDUCATIONAL IMPLICATIONS
OF LAW OF READINESS

Curriculum / Learning
experiences should be
The teacher must consider
according to the mental
The law draws the the psycho-biological
level of maturity of the
attention of teacher to the readiness of the students
child. If this is not so, there
motivation of the child. to ensure successful
will be poor
learning experiences.
comprehension and
readiness may vanish.
2. LAW OF EXERCISE
 This law explains the role of practice in learning. According
to this law, learning becomes efficient through practice or
exercise.
 The dictum ‘Practice makes a man perfect’ goes very
well with this law. This law is further split into two parts —
Law of use and Law of disuse.
 The law of use means that a connection between a
stimulus and response is strengthened by its occurrence, its
exercise or its use. In other words, the use of any response
strengthens it, and makes it more prompt, easy and certain.
 Regarding the law of disuse, it is said that when a
modifiable connection is not made between a stimulus and
a response over a length of time, the strength of that
connection is decreased. This means that any act that is
not practised for some time gradually decays. Anything that
is not used exercised or practised for a certain period tends
to be forgotten or becomes weak in strength, efficiency and
promptness.
EDUCATIONAL
IMPLICATIONS
 Exercise occupies an important place in
learning.
 Teacher must repeat, give sufficient drill in
some subjects like mathematics, drawing,
music or vocabulary for fixing material in the
minds of the students.
 Thorndike later revised this law of exercise and
accordingly it is accepted that practice does
bring improvement in learning but it is not
sufficient. Always practice must be followed by
some reward or satisfaction to the learner. The
learner must be motivated to learn.
 This is most important of Thorndike’s
laws, which state that when a connection
between stimulus and response is
accompanied by satisfying state, its
strength is increased.
 On the other hand, when a connection is
accompanied by an annoying state of
affairs, its strength is reduced or
weakened.
 The saying ‘nothing succeeds like
3. LAW OF success’ goes very well with this law. In
other words, the responses that produce
EFFECT satisfaction or comfort for the learner are
strengthened and responses that
produce annoyance or discomfort for the
learner are weakened.
 Thorndike revised this law in 1930 and
according to this revision, he stated that
reward strengthened the response but
punishment did not always weaken the
response. Then he placed more emphasis
on the reward aspect than on the
punishment aspect of Law of Effect.
EDUCATIONAL
IMPLICATIONS
 This law signifies the use of reinforcement or feedback in learning. This
implies that learning trials must be associated with satisfying
consequences.
 The teacher can use rewards to strengthen certain responses and
punishment to weaken others.
 However, the use of reward is more desirable than the use of punishment
in school learning. The teacher for motivating the students for learning
situations can exploit the use of reward.

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