ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Edward Thorndike

Edward Thorndike was a really smart man who studied how the mind works. He wanted to learn more about how we learn things, so he did some experiments with animals like cats and chickens.

One of the things he found out was something called the "law of effect." This means that when we do something and it feels good, we're more likely to do it again in the future. And when we do something and it feels bad, we're less likely to do it again.

For example, if you try to learn a new skill like riding a bike, and you fall off and get hurt, you might be less likely to try again. But if you keep practicing and eventually learn how to ride without falling, you'll feel really good about yourself and want to keep riding your bike.

Thorndike also believed that learning happens through trial and error. This means we try things out and see if they work, and if they don't, we learn from our mistakes and try something else. Over time, we get better at things by trying different approaches and seeing what works best.

So, Edward Thorndike was a smart man who studied how our minds work and how we learn things by trying new things and learning from our successes and failures.