LESSON 2:

THORNDIKE'S CONNECTIONISM
Facilitating Learner-centered Teaching By: Ferdinand Bulusan, Marcelo R. Raquepo, Marilyn L. Balmeo and Joselito C. Gutierrez By:
Rex Books Store 2019

At the end of the lesson, you will be able to:

• identify the primary laws of learning postulated by Edward Thorndike;

• describe how behaviors are learned according to Thorndike's laws of learning; and
• provide teaching implications of Thorndike's laws of learning.

THINK
Within the first half of the 21st Century in the United States, Edward L. Thorndike (1874-1949)
was prominent because of his laws of learning, primarily under the umbrella of associationism or
connectionism (Mayer, 2003). It is mainly concerned with the connection between the stimulus and
response (S-R). According to Karadut (2012), Thomdike is one of the few psychologists who focused on
education. In proving his findings, Thomdike used an experimental approach in measuring a student's
academic achievement. Thorndike believed that forming associations or connections between sensory
experiences and neural impulses results in the prime type of learning. The neural impulses, called responses,
are behaviorally manifested. He believed that learning often occurs by trial and error (selecting and
connecting).
Laws of Learning
Thorndike's basic ideas rest in the laws of exercise and effect. Firstly, the Law of Exercise is divided
into two parts: the law of use and the law of disuse. The law of use means that the frequent recurring of the
response to a stimulus strengthens their connection. Meanwhile, the law of disuse means that when a
response is not made to a stimulus, the connection's strength is weakened or even forgotten.
Drills are vital to acquire and sustain learning. In the very words of Thorndike (1913), bonds
between stimuli and responses are strengthened through being exercised frequently, recently, and
"vigorously." Learners usually learn faster when they often apply a certain skill (e.g., spelling new terms)
and tend to forget when such a response does not recur over some time (Karadut, 2012). This explains why
pianists, for example, repeatedly practice their pieces before their performances. By practicing (law of use),
they ensure that they will play correctly. If they do not exercise playing their pieces (law of disuse), they
may encounter difficulty in smoothly accomplishing their performances.
Thorndike later revised the Law of Exercise. He confessed that by merely practicing, one does not
bring improvement in learning. Practicing, according to Thorndike, is not sufficient. Hence, the constant
practice must be followed by some reward or satisfaction to the learner. In short, the pupil must be motivated
to learn.
The Law of Effect, meanwhile, emphasizes that if a response is followed by a "satisfying" state of
affairs, the S-R connection is strengthened; if a response is followed by an "annoying" state of affairs, the
S-R connection is weakened. Thus, Thorndike posited that satisfiers and annoyers are critical to learning.
This explains why teachers give favorable comments to students who show pleasant behavior in class; when
such ego-boosting comments satisfy the learners, the higher the chance that they will repeat such behavior.
 The third law of learning also has something to do with boosting human motivation. The law of
readiness states that if one is prepared to act, to do so is rewarding, and not to do so is punishing. In short,
before learning commences, one must be physically, emotionally, mentally, and psychologically prepared.
This law is illustrated when a learner knows the answer to a particular question, thus raising his or her hand.
Calling him or her to recite is rewarding. However, when the teacher calls on a student who does not know
the answer may be annoying on his or her part, thus weakening the bond of stimulus and response. The law
of readiness is also used in sequencing topics. When students are ready to learn a particular action (in terms
of developmental level or prior skill acquisition), then behaviors that foster this learning will be rewarding.
Meanwhile, when students are not ready to learn or do not possess prerequisite skills, then attempting to
learn is punishing and even becomes a waste of time.

Other Laws of Learning

Thorndike also observed that the first thing learned has the strongest S-R bond and is almost
incrasable. He calls this as the Law of Primacy. It implies that learning a concept or skill again is more
difficult than the first time one has learned it. This explains why teachers correct students who have miscon
before in a new lesson. The application part in a lesson plan or daily lesson log is strategically situated
before generalizing a concept so that teachers can detect the misunderstandings of the students in a certain
lesson. When the misconception is not corrected for the first time, that may lead to habit formation. In
English Language Teaching, recurring mistake among learners is called fossilization (Demirezen & Topal,
2015). Relearning the correct concept later will be confusing to the students or even time-consuming.
Hence, the first (prime) learning experience should be as functional, as precise, and as positive as possible
so that it paves the way to the more comfortable learning experiences to follow.
As much as possible, teachers provide activities that come with extreme relevance to the learners.
This teaching principle is primarily rooted in Thorndike's Law of Intensity. Thorndike believed that
exciting, immediate, or even dramatic learning within the real context of the students would tremendously
facilitate learning. Hence, the Law of Intensity implies that exposing the students in real world applications
of the skills and concepts makes them most likely to remember the experience. The current K to 12
curriculum of the country immerses senior high school students to a short-time real world application called
"on-the-job training" or OJT They receive a foretaste of how the skills and concepts they learn in class are
applied in the real workplace. In that sense, the learning experience becomes more intense and will most
likely be remembered.
The concepts or skills most recently learned are least forgotten. This is the gist of the Law of
Recency. Thus, when learners are isolated in time from learning a new concept, the more difficult it is for
them to remember. For instance, in a foreign language class (e.g., French), it is easier to recall and recite
those which are learned minutes ago than those which were taught the other month. This implies that
teachers should facilitate learning by providing the learners with a clear connection between the previous
and the current learning experience. Letting the students mention or apply the formerly learned skill or
concept in the new learning experience may refresh their memory, thus the higher the probability of
forgetting.
Thorndike also mentioned that humans tend to show an almost similar response to an entirely
different stimulus if, on recurring instances, that stimulus has slight changes compared to the previously
known one. Thorndike coins this as the Principle of Associative Shifting. For example, to teach pupils to
add a three-digit number, teachers let them master the adding of a one-digit number first. As they solve
increasing numbers, pupils will tend to associate the response to the previously paired S-R.
 from habits; do not
expect them to
create thmeselves

introduce a skill
when it will most beware of forming
fully facilitate a habit that must
learning which will be broken later
folow shortly

Thorndike noted that

teachers should:

introduce a skill
when it is most do not form two or
fully facilitated by more habits when
immediately one will do as well
preceding learning

identify a skill whre

it is most stated in
difficult to the
ability of the
learners

Figure 17. Thorndike’s connectionism and teaching.

The transfer occurs when the contexts of learning have identical elements and call for similar
responses. Thorndike called it as generalization (Thorndike, 1913). This implies that not only skills should
be taught in one isolated topic, but also that other related subjects or topics should provide opportunities
for the students to apply them. In a Social Studies class, it is not enough to teach the students to read maps,
but it is better if they are also taught to calculate miles from inches. Later, that skill is reinforced when they
will create their maps and map problems to solve.

EXPERIENCE
Journaling has been a perennial writing enhancement strategy. Hight (2013) found out that students
who are engaged continuously in journaling have improved writing skills. Hight's study, he used the Laws
of Exercise and Effect as theoretical bases. He proved that correct, constant practice coupled with
"satisfiers" such as appreciative praises and good grades could improve learning.
Meanwhile, motivating the students before the formal introduction of the lesson vital in directing
the students to learn. The Law of Readiness is highly noticeable in this situation. If the students are prepared
to learn new concepts, learning becomes easier.
In conducting classes, teachers are advised to use activities that are within the mental and contextual
frames of the students. By exposing them into real-world activities like simulations and immersions, the
more they will consider the learning experience as an "intense" one; hence, the easier they create a strong
connection between the stimulus and the response, the least they forget the skill or concept learned. This is
one application of the Law of Intensity.