Edward Thorndike And His Influence On Psychology

During his career, Edward Thorndike was a psychological researcher who produced a large body of work on many topics, although his role and contributions are sometimes overlooked. Specifically, he was a pioneer in modern educational psychology, laying the foundation in a field that would attract well-known behaviorists like B.F. Skinner.

Thorndike’s personal life and early education

Edward Lee Thorndike was born in Williamsburg, Massachusetts, on August 31, 1874. His father was initially a lawyer and then served as a Methodist minister. 

Thorndike's entire family took an interest in academic pursuits. His two brothers, Ashley and Lynn, also became great scholars in their fields. Ashley Thorndike studied English, becoming an authority on Shakespeare. Lynn Thorndike studied Medieval times, focusing on the history of magic and science.

Thorndike attended The Roxbury Latin School for his early education, graduating in 1891. He continued his education at Wesleyan University, earning his bachelor of science in 1895.

Harvard University and early career

Thorndike attended Harvard University for his master of arts. While there, he studied with William James, an early American psychology educator, and became interested in investigating how animals learn. Over time, his interest extended to how people learn. His master's thesis laid the foundation for modern comparative psychology. This field studies mental processes and behavior in animals, aiming to make comparisons across different species, including between animals and humans.

Columbia University and later career

For his doctorate, Thorndike attended Teachers College, Columbia University. While there, he was able to return to his first interest in educational psychology. He studied with James McKeen Cattell, who was known for his work on psychometrics. Thorndike's doctoral dissertation was titled "Animal Intelligence: An Experimental Study of the Associative Processes in Animals."

After Thorndike graduated with his doctorate in 1898, he accepted a position at the College for Women of Case Western Reserve. He only stayed for one year, leaving to become a psychology professor at Teachers College, where he remained for the rest of his career. While there, he studied education, learning, and mental testing. In 1900, Thorndike married Elizabeth Moulton, with whom he had four children. 

Thorndike’s accomplishments 

Thorndike was elected president of the American Psychological Association (APA) in 1912 and as a fellow of the American Statistical Association in 1917. That same year, he was one of the first psychologists admitted to the National Academy of Sciences. In 1934, Thorndike was elected president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and in 1937, he became the second president of the Psychometric Society. The society had only been established the previous year.

Educational psychology research

When he conducted his dissertation research, his was the first study to use animals for research on the learning process. For that study, he was interested in whether animals could learn how to complete tasks through observation or imitation. 

To conduct his dissertation research, Thorndike created puzzle boxes. These puzzle boxes had a door that could be pulled open by weight on a string, which was connected to a button or lever. The boxes were large enough to place an animal inside, and the system caused the door to open when they pushed the lever or button. Often, the animals had to perform a specific response to get out, and Thorndike measured how long it took for the animal to solve the puzzle.

Thorndike often used cats in his animal experiments. He placed them in the box, and usually they just moved around aimlessly. Sometimes, Thorndike had the cats observe other animals who knew how to escape. He discovered that observation was not particularly helpful and didn’t help the cats figure out how to get out themselves.

Instead of learning from others or by demonstration, the cats often discovered the mechanism for escape by accident, and then they learned to replicate that behavior. The same happened with other animals. Thorndike concluded that the animals seemed to learn through trial and error. The cats could use trial and error to learn faster each time they were put in the box.

When he plotted the escape times on a graph, it represented a learning curve showing how quickly they could learn. Usually, the times eventually leveled off. All this research led Thorndike to create a theory of learning. According to Thorndike’s theory, animals learn things gradually rather than through a sudden burst of insight, which is what researchers previously thought. Thorndike also defined the Law of Effect, which states that behaviors followed by positive consequences (rewards) are likely to be repeated.

Research on human learning

Thorndike extended his findings to human behavior. He also developed expertise in testing people's learning abilities and ability to perform various activities. The psychological principles gleaned from the Thorndike theory of adult learning were put to use during World War I by the United States Army. Thorndike created the Alpha version of the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery. This is a multiple-choice test used to determine whether people are suitable to enter the military and in what roles they should serve. After using the test for some time, Thorndike realized some soldiers could not read well. He designed a second test, the Beta, which used diagrams and pictures to assess people.

His work helped to develop the field of psychology, especially the niche called educational psychology. Thorndike believed education should be used to help people pursue specific and worthwhile goals. 

Further, Thorndike identified three key areas in his model for intellectual development. The first area was abstract intelligence, a person's ability to understand various concepts. The second area was mechanical intelligence, which describes a person's ability to handle physical objects. The third was social intelligence, which represents a person's ability to have good social interactions.

Edward Thorndike – Contribution to education and psychology

Thorndike's contributions significantly influenced the field of education. He was one of the first psychologists to apply psychological principles—such as learning theory, psychometrics, and other applied research findings—to plan for educational methods. He believed that motivation was an important factor influencing learning and that people learn by associating certain stimuli with certain responses. Thorndike also started a trend toward using mass-marketed textbooks and tests.

Thorndike's research—focused on animal learning, behavior, and people's abilities—also laid the foundation for future learning theories. Edward Thorndike’s contributions influenced countless psychologists, including the behaviorists John B. Watson and B.F. Skinner. Watson was working at the same time as Thorndike and also studied how people can learn behavior through their experiences to create automatic responses, a process known as instrumental learning. Skinner's research followed Thorndike's Law of Effect and informed the field more about the effects of rewards and punishments. 

Building on Thorndike’s famous box puzzle experiments, Skinner used similar mechanisms to study how rats responded to stimuli in his "Skinner boxes." Skinner’s work would be integral to the development of a type of therapy known as applied behavioral analysis.  

Thorndike also held some controversial views that are not acceptable today, including a belief in eugenics. Essentially, he believed that selective breeding could improve people's ability to learn and improve their overall nature. Thorndike also generally believed that women were inherently different from men. He believed women had an instinct to submit to men. 

Lessons to be learned

Although some of Thorndike's views are outdated today, his research contributed much to the field of behavioral psychology. Some of his findings may be particularly applicable to everyday life.

Thorndike's research showed that people learn gradually over time through trial and error. Indeed, people often take time to learn new information, making mistakes along the way. This principle can be applied to educational settings and life in general. 

Applying educational psychology to everyday life 

For individuals interested in learning more about the process of learning for their own benefit, therapy may be a solution. A licensed therapist may be able to help you increase your knowledge about yourself and your learning styles.

Online therapy has unique benefits. Because you can attend online therapy from anywhere you have an internet connection, it’s convenient to anyone, even people living in areas with few therapists. Online therapy is also convenient. You can sign up online and get matched with a therapist ready to start working with you.

Research shows that online therapy is effective, too. One review determined that online therapy resulted in a 50% improvement in symptoms of social anxiety disorder, panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, depression, and compulsive gambling disorder and significantly decreased the effects of stress and chronic fatigue.