Editing Edward Thorndike (section)

==Thorndike on education==
Thorndike's Educational psychology began a trend toward behavioral psychology that sought to use empirical evidence and a scientific approach to problem solving. Thorndike was among some of the first psychologists to combine learning theory, psychometrics, and applied research for school-related subjects to form psychology of education. One of his influences on education is seen by his ideas on mass marketing of tests and textbooks at that time. Thorndike opposed the idea that learning should reflect nature, which was the main thought of developmental scientists at that time. He instead thought that schooling should improve upon nature. Unlike many other psychologist of his time, Thorndike took a statistical approach to education in his later years by collecting qualitative information intended to help teachers and educators deal with practical educational problems.{{sfn|Beatty|1998|p=1152}} Thorndike's theory was an association theory, as many were in that time. He believed that the association between stimulus and response was solidified by a reward or confirmation. He also thought that motivation was an important factor in learning.{{sfn|Guthrie|Powers|1950}} The Law of Effect introduced the relation between reinforcers and punishers. Although Thorndike's  description of the relation between reinforcers and punishers was incomplete, his work in this area would later become a catalyst in further research, such as that of [[B.F. Skinner]].{{sfn|Adams|2000}}

Thorndike's [[Law of Effect]] states that "responses that produce a desired effect are more likely to occur again whereas responses that produce an unpleasant effect are less likely to occur again".{{sfn|Gray|2010|pp=108–109}} The terms 'desired effect' and 'unpleasant effect' eventually became known as 'reinforcers' and 'punishers'.{{sfn|Gray|2010|pp=108–109}} Thorndike's contributions to the Behavioral Psychology Society are seen through his influences in the classroom, with a particular focus on praising and ignoring behaviors. Praise is used in the classroom to encourage and support the occurrence of a desired behavior. When used in the classroom, praise has been shown to increase correct responses and appropriate behavior.{{sfn|Hester|Hendrickson|Gable|2009}} Planned ignoring is used to decrease, weaken, or eliminate the occurrence of a target behavior.{{sfn|Hester|Hendrickson|Gable|2009}} Planned ignoring is accomplished by removing the reinforcer that is maintaining the behavior. For example, when the teacher does not pay attention to a "whining" behavior of a student, it allows the student to realize that whining will not succeed in gaining the attention of the teacher.{{sfn|Hester|Hendrickson|Gable|2009}}