PSYC 2330 Midterm: Lecture 6-8 Notes (Midterm II).docx
Document Summary
Placed a hungry animal (cat, dog, or chicken) in the puzzle box with some food left outside in plain view of the animal. The task for the animal was to learn how to get out of the box and obtain the food. Different puzzle boxes required different responses to get out and some were easier than others. For example, in box a the required response was to pull a ring to release a latch that blocked the door on the outside. In box i, pressing down on a level released a latch on the other side. Initially, subjects were slow to make the correct response, but with continued practice on the task, their latencies became shorter and shorter. Thorndike interpreted these results as reflecting the learning of an s-r association. The consequence of the successful response strengthened the association between the box stimuli and that response.