In which primary law of Thorndike, property of trial and error is demonstrated?

Edward Thorndike, a pioneer in educational psychology, formulated three primary laws of learning based on his experiments with animals. His trial-and-error learning theory is central to understanding how behaviors are strengthened or weakened through experience.

Key Points

• Law of Exercise: This law states that connections between a stimulus and a response are strengthened with practice (law of use) and weakened when practice is discontinued (law of disuse).
• The "trial and error" process involves repeated attempts (exercise) to find the correct response.
• Successful trials strengthen the connection, while unsuccessful ones are gradually eliminated through lack of reinforcement.

Hint

•  Law of Effect: This law focuses on the consequences of a response. Behaviors followed by satisfying consequences are more likely to be repeated, while those followed by unpleasant consequences are less likely to be repeated. While important for learning through trial and error, it describes what influences the repetition of behaviors, not the process of trying different responses.
• Law of Satisfaction: This is essentially an earlier term for the Law of Effect, emphasizing the role of pleasure or satisfaction in strengthening connections.
• Law of Readiness: This law states that an organism must be physiologically and psychologically ready to learn for conditioning to occur. It addresses the learner's state before learning begins, not the process of trying out different responses.

Hence, the correct answer is Law of Exercise.