Who is most closely associated with the law of effect?

In order to continue enjoying our site, we ask that you confirm your identity as a human. Thank you very much for your cooperation.

Pavlov is famous for his work in: a. contingent conditioning b. operant conditioning c. classical conditioning
d. oppositional conditioning
The study of learning is most closely associated with which school of psychology? a. psychoanalytic b. humanist c. social
d. behaviourist
If we reinforce the desired response every time it occurs we are using: a. continuous reinforcement b. incremental reinforcement c. intermittent reinforcement
d. contingent reinforcement
Observational learning is also known as: a. classical conditioning b. operant conditioning c. modelling
d. manipulation
Taking away a child’s toys after she has hit her brother (to stop her hitting him again!) is an example of: a. positive punishment b. negative punishment c. vindictive conditioning
d. observational learning
According to the behaviourist school, ________ plays no role in learning. a. experience b. nurture c. nature
d. punishment
Thorndike developed the: a. law of effort b. law of energy c. law of effusion
d. law of effect
Giving a student extra homework after they misbehave in class is an example of: a. positive punishment b. negative punishment c. positive reinforcement
d. negative reinforcement
________ schedules of reinforcement are based on number of responses while ________ schedules of reinforcement are based on elapsed time. a. fixed, variable b. variable, fixed c. interval, ratio
d. ratio, interval
To train her puppy to roll over, Kim began by rewarding it for simply lying down. Later, she only rewarded the puppy if it lay down AND turned to one side. Later still, the puppy only got a reward if it lay down, turned, then rolled over. Kim was using: a. classical conditioning b. modelling c. a fixed interval schedule
d. shaping
In classical conditioning, US stands for: a. unintentional stimulus b. unconditioned stimulus c. unconnected stimulus
d. none of the above
In classical conditioning, UR and CR are: a. opposite behaviours b. the same behaviour c. the result of extinction
d. the same stimulus
Which of the following phrases best sums up the law of effect: a. think before you act b. if you can’t beat them, join them c. if it works, repeat it
d. measure twice, cut once
Positive reinforcement ________ the likelihood of a behaviour, and negative reinforcement ________ the likelihood of a behaviour. a. increases, increases b. decreases, decreases c. increases, decreases
d. decreases, increases
Gerhardt got sick after eating a peach. Now he feels sick when he looks at peaches, nectarines or plums. This illustrates: a. spontaneous recovery b. intermittent reinforcement c. modelling
d. generalization
A bakery gives customers a free pastry after every 6 pastry purchases. This is an example of what kind of reinforcement schedule? a. fixed interval b. fixed ratio c. variable interval
d. variable ratio
A researcher trains a dog to salivate to the sound of a bell. Then he turns the lights on just before he sounds the bell. If he continues to do this until the dog starts to salivate as soon as the lights go on, he has demonstrated: a. latent learning b. insight c. second-order conditioning
d. extinction
An intermittent schedule of reinforcement that reinforces behaviour after an average, but unpredictable, amount of time has passed is called a ________ ________ schedule. a. fixed ratio b. variable ratio c. fixed interval
d. variable interval
Food is to ________ reinforcer as money is to ________ reinforcer. a. positive, negative b. negative, positive c. primary, secondary
d. secondary, primary
Positive punishment ________ behaviour, and negative punishment ________ behaviour. a. strengthens, strengthens b. weakens, weakens c. strengthens, weakens
d. weakens, strengthens
In the prisoner’s dilemma game: a. a positive outcome for one player does not necessarily mean a negative outcome for the other player b. a positive outcome for one player necessarily means a negative outcome for the other player c. the players can discuss their strategy with each other before making their choices
d. each player has access to a lawyer
In the prisoner’s dilemma game, the cooperative decision is: a. confess b. don’t confess c. blame the other person
d. none of the above
To encourage children to enjoy arithmetic, you should: a. punish them when they make a mistake b. reward them every time they get an answer right c. sometimes surprise them with a reward when they get an answer right
d. ignore them
To be classed as a phobia, a fear must be both: a. rational and life-threatening b. unexplained and unconscious c. short-lived and dangerous
d. strong and irrational
After being bitten by a big Alsatian dog, Hugo was scared of other big dogs but he was not scared of little dogs like Chihuahuas. This pattern demonstrates: a. shaping b. negative punishment c. discrimination
d. latent learning
You are online one evening when an advert appears showing your favourite movie star wearing a new brand of sunglasses. The advertiser hopes that your positive feelings toward the movie star will make you want the sunglasses. In this situation, the sunglasses would be the: a. US b. UR c. CS
d. CR
People who have a lot of dental problems often come to dislike even the smell of their dentist’s office. The smell represents a(n): a. US b. UR c. CS
d. CR
Taking away a person’s car after they have been caught speeding would be an example of: a. positive punishment b. negative punishment c. positive reinforcement
d. negative reinforcement
Research indicates that exposure to violent TV/video games: a. has no impact of aggression b. increases aggression c. reduces aggression
d. promotes random acts of kindness
Animals are most likely to learn associations that promote: a. survival b. happiness c. extinction
d. discrimination

Which neurotransmitter is considered the major excitatory neurotransmitter? A. Glycine B. GABA C. Glutamate D. Serotonin QUESTION 2 Glia cells play a supportive role to the neuron. A few of the
Treatment adherence is affected by several different factors. Clinical factors include mood, anxiety, psychosis, and substance misuse. There are also patient factors such as knowledge, attitude, and
QUESTION 11 A patient arrives in the ED via EMS having a grand mal seizure. The ED physician instructs the RN to give 10 milligrams of Diazepam IV X1 dose STAT. The patient's seizure breaks within 2
Which of the following consists of all the known major neurotransmitters that are relevant in psychiatry? A.glutamate, GABA, dopamine, serotonin, norepinephrine, histamine, steroids, nitric oxide
Which of the following statements below is NOT considered an appropriate treatment strategy for treatment-resistant depression? A) Sertraline+Bupropion B) Fluoxetine+Venlafaxine C)
The Draw-a-Person Test is LEAST useful for identifying _______. Group of answer choices high intellectual functioning low intellectual functioning average intellectual functioning children's

By Dr. Saul McLeod updated 2018

The law of effect principle developed by Edward Thorndike suggested that:

"responses that produce a satisfying effect in a particular situation become more likely to occur again in that situation, and responses that produce a discomforting effect become less likely to occur again in that situation (Gray, 2011, p. 108–109)."

Edward Thorndike (1898) is famous in psychology for his work on learning theory that lead to the development of operant conditioning within Behaviorism.

Whereas classical conditioning depends on developing associations between events, operant conditioning involves learning from the consequences of our behavior.

Skinner wasn’t the first psychologist to study learning by consequences. Indeed, Skinner's theory of operant conditioning is built on the ideas of Edward Thorndike.

Thorndike studied learning in animals (usually cats). He devised a classic experiment in which he used a puzzle box (see fig. 1) to empirically test the laws of learning.

Fig 1: Simplified graph of the result of the puzzle box experiment.

He placed a cat in the puzzle box, which was encourage to escape to reach a scrap of fish placed outside. Thorndike would put a cat into the box and time how long it took to escape. The cats experimented with different ways to escape the puzzle box and reach the fish.

Eventually they would stumble upon the lever which opened the cage. When it had escaped it was put in again, and once more the time it took to escape was noted. In successive trials the cats would learn that pressing the lever would have favorable consequences and they would adopt this behavior, becoming increasingly quick at pressing the lever.

Edward Thorndike put forward a “Law of effect” which stated that any behavior that is followed by pleasant consequences is likely to be repeated, and any behavior followed by unpleasant consequences is likely to be stopped.

Critical Evaluation

Thorndike (1905) introduced the concept of reinforcement and was the first to apply psychological principles to the area of learning.

His research led to many theories and laws of learning, such as operant conditioning. Skinner (1938), like Thorndike, put animals in boxes and observed them to see what they were able to learn.

The learning theories of Thorndike and Pavlov were later synthesized by Hull (1935). Thorndike's research drove comparative psychology for fifty years, and influenced countless psychologists over that period of time, and even still today.

Download this article as a PDF

How to reference this article:

McLeod, S. A. (2018, January 14). Edward Thorndike. Simply Psychology. www.simplypsychology.org/edward-thorndike.html

APA Style References

Gray, P. (2011). Psychology (6th ed.) New York: Worth Publishers.

Hull, C. L. (1935). The conflicting psychologies of learning—a way out. Psychological Review, 42(6), 491.

Skinner, B. F. (1938). The behavior of organisms: An experimental analysis. New York: Appleton-Century.

Thorndike, E. L. (1898). Animal intelligence: An experimental study of the associative processes in animals. Psychological Monographs: General and Applied, 2(4), i-109.

Thorndike, E. L. (1905). The elements of psychology. New York: A. G. Seiler.

Download this article as a PDF

How to reference this article:

McLeod, S. A. (2018, January 14). Edward Thorndike. Simply Psychology. www.simplypsychology.org/edward-thorndike.html

Home | About Us | Privacy Policy | Advertise | Contact Us

Simply Psychology's content is for informational and educational purposes only. Our website is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.