How did Skinner's work in behaviorism differ from Thorndike's work?
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However, in Skinner's theory, a behavior is likely to reoccur based on a reinforcer rather than whether the stimulus is positive or negative. Thorndike's theory on the other hand is based primarily on the reinforcements and punishments, both which in theory could be stimulating.
Herein, how did Edward Thorndike pave the way for Skinner's work and the study of behaviorism?
Edward Thorndike (1898) is famous in psychology for his work on learning theory that lead to the development of operant conditioning within Behaviorism. Skinner wasn't the first psychologist to study learning by consequences. Indeed, Skinner's theory of operant conditioning is built on the ideas of Edward Thorndike.
In respect to this, what is the difference between the law of effect and operant conditioning?
Law of effect says rewards are reinforcement and punishment is the opposite. So rewards reinforce and punishment makes you less likely to continue a behavior.
The main difference between these two theories was that Thorndike included rewarding situations in his theory, whereas Pavlov studied only reflex responses to stimuli.