What major conclusions did Thorndike reach concerning the nature of the learning process? Why was Thorndike’s theory referred to as connectionism?
Thorndike used the puzzle box method to investigate about the systematic as well as the trial and error learning. He worked on various subjects like fish, chicks, monkeys, rats including humans. He performed the puzzle box method with the cats as well. Arrangement of the box was designed in a manner that, whenever an animal performs certain responses the door of the box get open automatically because of, which the escape of the animal get facilitated.
In addition to the escape animals were also provided with the piece of a fish as a reward. He had conducted various puzzle box experiments through, which he reached to the conclusions that learning is an incremental process. It occurs bit by bit at a time instead of all at one go. Every successful escape causes the subsequent escapes more quick in nature.
According to him, learning is a process, which occurs automatically. Basically learning is not facilitated by the process of the thinking. He concluded that all the mammals follow the same principles of the learning. Humans also learn same as the other mammals do. All these conclusions showed the Thorndike as a behaviorist more.
According to the Thorndike, sensory responses and the impressions are connected to each other by the neurological connections. He also concluded that chances of getting response against the present stimulus are always identified by the neural connection strength between the response and the stimulus.
The major concern of the Thorndike was not associated with the “how” of the association of the ideas Infact he found more concerned about the strength of the responses and the neural connections. His theory was later named as the connectionism.