《Ch4_learning_092513YK》.ppt

An Introduction to Theories of Learning, Ninth Edition Matthew H. Olson | B. R. Hergenhahn Copyright ? 2014 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved An Introduction to THEORIES of LEARNING CHAPTER An Introduction to Theories of Learning, Ninth Edition Matthew H. Olson | B. R. Hergenhahn Copyright ? 2014 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved Edward Lee Thorndike Chapter 4 Adapted by Yi-Lung Kuo, 09/25/13 Edward L. Thorndike (1874—1949) The father of modern educational psychology /~intell/intelmap.shtml “Psychology is the science of the intellects, characters and behavior of animals including man” (Thorndike, 1910). Thorndike, E. (1910). The contribution of psychology to education. Journal of Educational Psychology, 1(1), 5-12. About E. L. Thorndike Born in Williamsburg, MA. Heard the word Psychology when he was a junior. Inspired by The Principles of Psychology (William James, 1890). B.S., Wesleyan University, 1895 M.A., Harvard University, 1897 Ph.D., Columbia University, 1898 Started with the study of mental telepathy Unconscious detection (his words) Study subjects: chicks, cats, rats, dogs, fish, monkeys, humans…no apes (too expensive) 507 books, monographs, and journal articles. Thorndike’s Contributions Brought the study of non-human learning into the laboratory. Developed new methods for studying learning, including application of quantitative approaches. Major Theoretical Concepts Connectionism This marked the first formal attempt to link sensory events to behavior. First modern theory of learning. Neural connection between S and R. Selecting and Connecting a.k.a. trial-and-error learning. The most basic form of learning. Major Theoretical Concepts One kind of puzzle box that Thorndike used in his research on learning. Key idea: the animal had to perform in a certain way before it was allowed to leave the box. Practice makes perfect? Time to solution =f(Successive Trials) Eureka?! Major Theoretical Concepts Learning Is Incremental