Edward Thorndike was a pioneer in the field of animal research and during the late 19th and early 20th centuries and his studies involving animal intelligence revolutionized animal research. He was a behaviorist; and through the use of mazes and puzzle boxes, his findings provided valuable insight into the area of operant (instrumental) learning theory. His research is credited with giving the field of psychology the theory of Connectionism, the Law of Effect, the Law of Exercise, and the Law of Readiness, which are collectively known as the Laws of Learning. While his initial studies were focused on learning in animals, Thorndike believed that humans and mammals learned in the same manner. Animal Research and Puzzle Boxes Before Thorndike conducted his experiments, animal research was mostly based on naturalistic observation. Darwin suggested that humans and nonhumans were similar in all …show more content…
The law of exercise has two components: the law of use and the law of disuse. The law of use states that the strength of a connection increases when that connection is used. The law of disuse states that the strength of a connection decreases when the connection is not used (Leonard, 2002, p. 110). Most things we learn are proof of the law of exercise. Playing music, driving a car, and excelling in sports are all areas where practice makes perfect. However, as with the Law of Effect, Thorndike revised and eventually abandoned the Law of Exercise after 1930. The Law of Use was found to be inaccurate as was the Law of Disuse because disuse does not necessarily weaken a connection because there are some behaviors that continue even when they are not used for a long time. The most common example of this is riding a bicycle. Once a person learns how to ride, the person never really forgets how even if years pass between the initial learning and riding a bicycle