American psychologist From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Edward Lee "Ted" Thorndike (August 31, 1874 – August 9, 1949) was an American psychologist. He spent most of entire career at Teachers College, Columbia University. He worked on ethology and the learning process. This led to the theory of connectionism, and helped lay the scientific foundation for modern educational psychology.[1]
Edward L. Thorndike | |
---|---|
Born | Edward Lee Thorndike August 31, 1874 Williamsburg, Massachusetts |
Died | August 9, 1949 74) Montrose, New York | (aged
Nationality | American |
Education | Roxbury Latin, Wesleyan, Harvard, Columbia |
Occupation | Psychologist |
Employer(s) | Teachers College, Columbia University |
Known for | Father of modern educational psychology |
Title | Professor |
Spouse | Elizabeth Moulton (married August 29, 1900) |
Thorndike also worked on industrial problems, such as employee exams and testing. He was a member of the board of the Psychological Corporation, and served as president of the American Psychological Association in 1912.[2][3]
The law of effect basically states that “responses that produce a satisfying effect in a particular situation become more likely to occur again in that situation, and responses that produce a discomforting effect become less likely to occur again in that situation”.[4]
Thorndike's textbooks were widely used in psychology courses for teacher training in the first part of the twentieth century.
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.