History
Early use of the law of effect was applied to neural changes rather than behavioral changes: The strengthening and weakening of neuron connections are due to delightful and unpleasant outcomes respectively.
The law of effect is an operant conditioning. This form of conditioning was first discovered in the 20th century in Cambridge, Massachusetts by Edward L. Thorndike. Edward Thorndike first tested his theory on learning behavior using a customized puzzle box in which a hungry cat was placed. The puzzle box consisted of a lever or a loop that could open the door, thereby releasing the hungry cat to freedom and to the food placed just outside the box. He noted the amount of elapsed time it took the cat to press the lever and free itself. Thorndike discovered that during the first few trials the cat would respond in many ineffective ways, such as scratching at the door, digging at the floor, and pushing at the ceiling, before it discovered the correct solution (pulling the loop or pushing the lever) and was freed from its wooden prison. With each successive trial, it took the cat, on average, less and less time to escape. The cat came to associate the pressing of the lever (or pulling of the loop) with the opening of the door. This has been termed a stimulus – response reaction, with the stimulus "being inside the box" the "pressing of the lever" the response.
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