The laws of learning are general principles that explain how learning takes place. They were given by the American psychologist Edward Lee Thorndike, based on his experiments on animals. According to Thorndike, learning is a process of forming connections (bonds) between a stimulus and a response. He divided the laws of learning into three primary (main) laws — the Law of Readiness, the Law of Exercise and the Law of Effect — and several secondary (subsidiary) laws. These laws are widely used in teaching to make learning more effective.
The laws of learning were given by Edward Lee Thorndike.
Thorndike's theory of learning is also called the trial-and-error theory.
There are three primary laws: readiness, exercise and effect.
Law of Readiness: learning is best when the learner is ready and willing.
Law of Exercise: practice (use) strengthens learning; disuse weakens it.
Law of Effect: satisfying results strengthen learning; annoying results weaken it.
Secondary laws include multiple response, attitude, analogy and associative shifting.
Thorndike gave three primary laws of learning:
Law of Readiness: Learning takes place best when the learner is mentally and physically ready and willing to learn. If a person is ready to act and is allowed to, it gives satisfaction; if not ready and forced, it causes annoyance.
Law of Exercise (Law of Use and Disuse): The more a thing is practised or repeated, the better it is learned and remembered (use). If it is not practised, it is gradually forgotten (disuse). Practice strengthens the stimulus-response bond.
Law of Effect: Learning is strengthened when it is followed by a pleasant or satisfying experience, and weakened when followed by an unpleasant or annoying experience. In short, acts that bring satisfaction are learned and repeated.
Thorndike also gave several secondary (subsidiary) laws:
Thus, Thorndike's laws guide teachers in planning effective and interesting lessons.
The laws of learning are general principles, given by the psychologist Edward Thorndike, that explain how learning takes place by forming bonds between a stimulus and a response. They are divided into three primary laws — the Law of Readiness, the Law of Exercise and the Law of Effect — and several secondary laws such as the law of multiple response and the law of analogy.
The three primary laws are: (1) Law of Readiness — learning is best when the learner is mentally and physically ready; (2) Law of Exercise — practice (use) strengthens learning while lack of practice (disuse) weakens it; and (3) Law of Effect — learning is strengthened by satisfying results and weakened by annoying results.
The Law of Effect states that learning is strengthened when a response is followed by a pleasant or satisfying experience, and weakened when followed by an unpleasant or annoying experience. In short, actions that bring satisfaction are learned and repeated, while those that bring discomfort are dropped. This is why rewards and praise help learning.
The secondary laws of learning given by Thorndike are: the Law of Multiple Response (trying different responses by trial and error), the Law of Attitude or mental set, the Law of Partial Activity (responding to the essential parts of a situation), the Law of Analogy or assimilation (responding to a new situation like a similar past one), and the Law of Associative Shifting.
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