Concept:Thorndike’s theory is known as the Trial and Error theory, also called Connectionism. It explains learning as a process of trying actions, making mistakes, and gradually discovering the correct response.
Explanation:Thorndike placed a hungry cat in a puzzle box. The cat had to pull a loop or press a lever to escape and get food.
At first, the cat made many random movements—scratching, jumping, biting. It accidentally triggered the escape mechanism.
Over repeated trials, the cat performed the correct action more quickly and eliminated useless movements.
This showed that learning happens through repeated attempts, errors, and accidental success, not by sudden insight.
Thorndike called this the “Law of Effect”: actions that lead to satisfying outcomes are strengthened.
Answer:A. Trial and error theory