Thorndike biography
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Edward Thorndike
American psychologist (1874–1949)
Edward Lee Thorndike ((1874-08-31)August 31, 1874 – (1949-08-09)August 9, 1949) was an American psychologist who spent nearly his entire career at Teachers College, Columbia University. His work on comparative psychology and the learning process led to his "theory of connectionism" and helped lay the scientific foundation for educational psychology. He also worked on solving industrial problems, such as employee exams and testing.
Thorndike was a member of the board of the Psychological Corporation and served as president of the American Psychological Association in 1912. A Review of General Psychology survey, published in 2002, ranked Thorndike as the ninth-most cited psychologist of the 20th century. Edward Thorndike had a powerful impact on reinforcement theory and behavior analysis, providing the basic framework for empirical laws in behavior psychology with his law of effect. Through his contributions to the behaviora
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Edward Thorndike
Edward L. Thorndike | |
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Born | Edward Lee Thorndike (1874-08-31)August 31, 1874 Williamsburg, Massachusetts |
Died | August 9, 1949(1949-08-09) (aged 74) Montrose, New York |
Nationality | American |
Education | Roxbury Latin, Wesleyan, Harvard, Columbia |
Occupation | Psychologist |
Employer(s) | Teachers College, Columbia University |
Known for | Father of modern educational psychology |
Title | Professor |
Spouse | Elizabeth Moulton (married August 29, 1900) |
Edward Lee "Ted" Thorndike (August 31, 1874 – August 9, 1949) was an Americanpsychologist. He spent most of entire career at Teachers College, Columbia University. He worked on ethology and the learning process. This led to the theory of connectionism, and helped lay the scientific foundation for modern educational psychology.[1]
Thorndike also worked on industrial problems, such as employee exams and testing. He was a member of the board of the Psychological Corpora
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Browse History
Edward Lee Thorndike was born in Williamsburg, MA in 1874. He graduated from Wesleyan University with a BA in 1895, and he received another BA from Harvard University in 1896. His doctoral degree was from Columbia (1898).
In 1899, Thorndike was appointed as instructor in genetic psychology at Teachers College, Columbia, in 1899 and he continued there until 1940. He became the director of the division of psychology of the Institute of Educational Research in 1922.
Thorndike's devised methods to test and measure children's intelligence and their ability to learn. He also conducted studies in djur psychology and the psychology of learning, and compiled dictionaries for children (1935) and young adults (1941).
Lawrence Cremin, a reknown historian of education describes Thorndike's influence on education: "he stands as a seminal figure in the history of education, and must be reckoned with in any discussion of the early twentieth century transformation of the Americ