1. Trial and error learning Thorndike 1898, 1911

2. Thorndike’s puzzle-box experiment
Thorndike put a hungry cat in a ‘puzzle box’ and placed fish outside the box where it could be seen, but was out of reach.
In order to escape from the box to get the food, the cat had to operate a latch to release a door on the side of the box.
Through a process of trial and error the cat learned that pushing the lever opened the door.

3. Thorndike’s puzzle-box experiment

4. Solution works Solution fails
Problem to be solved
Solution tried 
Solution works Solution fails
Practice solution
the organism has been instrumental in bringing about the solution

5. Trial and error learning
A kind of learning in which one response after another is tried (eg, trials) and rejected as ineffective (eg, errors), until eventually a successful response is made.
An organism slowly eliminates responses that do not achieve the desired outcome, and continues to respond in different ways until they determine the response that leads to the desired reward.

6. Instrumental learning
The term used by Thorndike to refer to the process whereby an organism learns the association between behaviour and its consequences.
Also called operant conditioning (a term introduced by Skinner)

7. Influences Motivation There needs to be a desire to attain some goal
Exploration
There needs to be an increase in activity – either purposeful or random
Incorrect or correct responses
There needs to be a combination of incorrect and correct responses or else it is not “trial and error” learning
Rewards
There needs to be a reward for the correct behaviour

8. Law of effect
Behaviour that is followed by a pleasant consequence is strengthened
more likely to occur again
Behaviour that is followed by an unpleasant consequence is weakened
less likely to occur again

9. Real-life applications
Problem-solving, especially if there are no instructions or prior experience with the task.
By allowing variety of responses, lateral thinking skills may develop.