Thorndike and the Law of Effect & Lewin's Field Theory
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Explain the major themes of each theory in short form:
1. Edward Lee Thorndike and the Law of Effect
2. Lewin's Field Theory.
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This solution explains the major themes of each theory in short form: Edward Lee Thorndike and the Law of Effect; and Lewin's Field Theory.
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1. Edward Lee Thorndike and the Law of Effect
? Thorndike's law of effect supposes that what is stored is the pattern of connections between environmental events and actions.
? An event happens in the environment and is closely followed by an action and another event and these events (or some of them, at least) become hooked together in the mind or brain of the organism.
? Experience gets stamped in.
? "Of several responses made to the same situation, those which are accompanied closely followed by satisfaction...will be more firmly connected to the situation so that it recurs, they will more likely recur" (Thorndike, 1913). (1)
? Thorndike's theory consists of three primary laws: (1) law of effect - responses to a situation which are followed by a rewarding state of affairs will be strengthened and become habitual responses to that situation, (2) law of readiness - a series of responses can be chained together to satisfy some goal which will result in annoyance if blocked, and (3) law of exercise - connections become strengthened with practice and weakened when practice is discontinued. A corollary of the law of effect was that responses that reduce the likelihood of achieving a rewarding state (i.e., punishments, failures) will decrease in strength.
? The learning theory represents the ...
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