THE THORNDIKE’S THEORY OF CONNECTIONISM

 In this article, you will read the major three laws propounded by
Thorndike on his theory of connectionism. He reveals that the foundation of learning is the
association between sense impressions and impulses to action. The implications
of the theory are also discussed.

Edward Thorndike

According
to Thorndike, the fundamental of learning is the association between sense
impressions and impulses to action (stimuli and responses). These associations
become strengthened, or weakened by the nature and frequency of the
stimuli-responses pairings. This means that an organism will repeat the
behaviour if it obtains a pleasant or satisfying stimulus after first
demonstrating it. He therefore postulated that learning in an organism involves
the act of selecting the most appropriate response and associating it with
specific problems or stimuli. Thorndike then described this type of theory as
learning by “trial and error” or “trial and success”.

The Thorndike’s Theory of connectionism experiment

In arriving
at this theory, a cat was put in a puzzle box, with food outside it. The logic
was that the cat has to escape before it could get the food. There was a
release mechanism inside which the cat would operate before it could get
outside. In the process, the cat made a series of effort to get outside.
Eventually, it succeeded in operating the mechanism, which paved way for its
escape and obtaining the food. On the subsequent attempt, the random movement
was reduced, and the cat concentrated much on the direction of the release
mechanism until it was able to escape again. The help of the “release
mechanism” made it possible for the cat to succeed in its escape, hence
this type of learning is also known as “instrumental
conditioning”.

THE LAWS OF THORNDIKE

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with the experiment performed above, Thorndike came up with a set of laws which
are believed to be responsible for learning in organisms. These are the laws of
readiness, exercises and effect.

1.   Law of Readiness: This law emphasizes the
desire/zeal of an organism to perform an action. It is the physiological
condition of an individual to embark on a task.  This implies that “Individuals learn best when they are
physically, mentally, and emotionally ready to learn, and do not learn well if
they see no reason for learning”. Since someone has been motivated to carry out an action, doing it at
that point satisfies the actor and not discouraging him.

2.   Law of Exercises: This
refers to strengthening or weakening of an event. Thorndike explained that
repetition promotes learned associations, (Stimulus and response). This implies
that “students
learn best and retain information longer when they have meaningful practice and
repetition” Constant practice is necessary if an action is to be
strengthened. The practice here should be meaningful and followed by a
feedback. Lack of practice may weaken an event for each time practice occurs, learning
continues.

3.   Law of Effect: This
refers to the consequence which an animal obtains for an action performed. It
is the outcome of a response.

Thorndike
believed that “any act that produces a
satisfying effect will be repeated”. The
principle of effect is that learning is strengthened when accompanied by an
enjoyable or satisfying feeling and that learning is weakened when associated
with an unpleasant feeling. The student will strive to continue doing what
provides a pleasant effect to continue learning. Positive reinforcement is more apt to lead to
success and motivate the learner, so the instructor should recognize and
commend improvement.

CLASSROOM IMPLICATIONS OF THORNDIKE’S THEORY

1.    The teacher should know that the students learn better when their needs
and interests are considered, hence the teacher should ensure that the learning
activities revolve around the students.

2.    Readiness is a prerequisite for learning; the teacher is therefore
advised to consider the mental or cognitive capability of the learners when
planning the curriculum or instructional contents.

3.    The teacher should recognise the fact that the students will like to repeat
the actions for which they received positive regards. Hence, the teacher should
always use various motivational strategies to sustain the interest of the
students in the classroom.

4.    The teacher should always present his/her materials in a logical and more
coherent way. This is the major way of arresting and sustaining the interest of
the learners in pedagogical activities.

5.    The teacher should consider the use of punishment as a last option in
reducing the undesirable behaviour in his /her classroom. This is because the
punishment cannot actually address the problem it rather makes the students to
be more violent in the classroom.

6.    The teacher should recognise the importance of exercises or practice in
the learning process. Learning may not occur unless practice is reinforced.
This means that the teacher should engage his/her students in assignment or
homework, if meaningful learning must be achieved.