Edward Lee Thorndike (1874-1949) was an American psychologist, He became interested in the field of psychology after reading William James “Principles of Psychology” and after graduating from Wesleyan University enrolled at Harvard to study under James.

Thorndike’s Trail and Error Experiment

Thorndike demonstrated the concept of trial-and-error learning through a series of experiments involving a cat. In these experiments, a hungry cat was placed inside a cage with a piece of fish just outside. To escape, the cat needed to pull on a string that would open the door of the cage. Initially, the cat tried various random actions—jumping, hitting, dashing around, and pushing against the bars—without success.

As the cat continued to experiment, it began to learn from its mistakes. After numerous attempts and through a process of trial and error, the cat eventually discovered that pulling the string was the key to opening the door and getting the food. Each time the cat was successfully released from the cage, it was promptly placed back inside to face the challenge again.

Over time, the cat became more efficient at the task, taking less time to figure out the solution and making fewer mistakes with each attempt. Eventually, the cat learned to pull the string with ease, demonstrating a clear improvement in its problem-solving skills through repeated trials. This experiment illustrated how learning can occur through a gradual process of refining responses based on past experiences.

Characteristics of Trial and Error Learning:

1. With the increase in the number of trials, random activities decrease
2. Learning by trial and error is gradual.
3. There is learning when there is motive.  For example: The cat was hungry.
4. The learner makes random and varied responses (Cat claws, scratches, dashes, and hits the cage)
5. Satisfying responses become well-learned because they lead to the attainment of the goal.
6. Thus, after several trial and error activities, the learner attains the correct learning.

Thorndike’s Laws of Learning

Thorndike, based on the experiments, postulated (give) three laws of learning. They are the law of readiness, the law of exercise, and the law of effect. These are very important for learning among children from the perspective of Thorndike. These laws work in the same sequence as given below, before starting a new lesson the teacher should check the readiness of the learner.

1. Law of Readiness: Readiness refers to the preparedness (Law of the preparation) of the organism in a certain manner. The law stresses the essentiality or readiness as factor in learning. Readiness depends on both maturation and experience of the learner. Sufficient physical and mental maturities are required for learning any type of activity.
2. Law of Exercise: The law ofexercise is known as the law of habit formation. The law implies the strengthening of S- R connections with practice and their weakening when practice is discontinued. So, the effect of learning is improved by continued practice. This law has two sub-laws :
   • Law of use: The S-R connection is strengthened by practice.
   • Law of use:  When practice is discontinued, the connection is weakened.
3. Law of effect: The law explains the importance of effect or consequence in strengthening and weakening of connection. If the results of learning are satisfying to the learner, the learner gets stamped in. When the results are not satisfying, learning is stamped out. Satisfying results strengthen the bond between stimulus and response. Thus the law emphasizes the role of rewards and punishment in the process of learning.

Thorndike’s Subordinate Laws of Learning

Apart from the three basic laws, Thorndike proposed five subordinate laws:

1. Law of Multiple Responses:The law implies that when an individual is confronted with a new situation he responds in a variety of ways before arriving at the correct response. For Example: Throndike’s cat in the cage moved about and tried many ways to come out till finally it hit the latch with her paw which opened the door.
2. Law of attitude: Learning is guided by mental sets leads to perform the task well. For Example: a student will not reach the top unless they aim (aim- mental set of leads)  for the first position and have the mindset of achieving it.
3. Law of prepotency of elements: The law states that the learner makes selective responses in a learning situation and ignors the other characteristics which may be irrelevant or non-essential.
4. Law of response by analogy: This law suggests that new learning situation is tackled on the basis of his past experiences. For Example: Knowledge of multiplication help’s in learning division.
5. Law of Associative Shifting: The response of the learner shifts with situations. This shifting is done in respect of the basic stimulus or some related associative stimulus. For Example: Imagine a dog that has been trained to sit when its owner says “sit” while holding a treat. Initially, the command “sit” is the basic stimulus, and the dog responds by sitting down to receive the treat. Over time, the owner starts using a different word, like “rest,” while still holding the treat. The dog begins to associate the new word “rest” with the same action of sitting, even though the original stimulus has changed. Eventually, the dog responds to “rest” in the same way it did to “sit.” This shift in response to a new but related stimulus demonstrates Thorndike’s Law of Associative Shifting.

Educational Implication of Thorndike’s Theory

Throndike’s theory focuses on the following educational implications :

• According to Throndike, motives play a vital role in learning. So learning should be made purposeful and goal-directed.
• Throndike’s law stresses the importance of readiness, Physical maturity and mental readiness could be assessed before introducing the learning task.
• The Law of Readiness highlights the importance of figuring out how ready a learner is for new tasks by using tools like interest surveys, aptitude tests, and ability assessments.
• The law of exercise focuses on the classroom application of repetition and review of learned material. Drill strengthens the bond between S and R. More practice results strengthened the bond between Stimulus and Response.
• The law of effect uses rewards. In a classroom application; the teacher can use praise and encouragement that would bring learning. For Example, doing an announcement in the classroom that one who completes their project first gets chocolate.
• A lot of opportunities should be given to the learners to use and repeat the knowledge they get in the classroom for effective and longer retention. This can be an example of the law of exercise, repetition of previously learned knowledge strengthened the bond between S and R
• A positive attitude towards learning should be encouraged in the classroom to improve learning outcomes.