______ is one of the primary laws of learning.

2016

______ is one of the primary laws of learning.

  1. A.

    Law of attitude

  2. B.

    Law of effect

  3. C.

    Law of analogy

  4. D.

    Law of associative shifting

Attempted by 3 students.

Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: B

Edward Thorndike's theory of connectionism (trial-and-error learning) identifies three PRIMARY (foundational) laws of learning — the Law of Readiness, the Law of Exercise, and the Law of Effect — that together explain how a stimulus-response (S-R) bond is formed and strengthened or weakened.

Beyond these three, Thorndike also proposed several SUBORDINATE (secondary) laws that refine specific learning situations — such as the law of multiple response, the law of set/attitude, the law of prepotency of elements, the law of response by analogy, and the law of associative shifting — but these are not counted among the three primary laws.

Applying this to the given options: only 'Law of effect' names one of the three primary laws — it states that a response followed by a satisfying consequence is strengthened ('stamped in'), while a response followed by an annoying consequence is weakened ('stamped out'). The remaining three options name subordinate laws Thorndike added later, not primary ones.

  • Law of attitude (law of set): a subordinate law describing how a learner's mental/postural readiness or attitude shapes which response is given in a situation.

  • Law of response by analogy: a subordinate law describing how a learner transfers a previously learned response to a new but similar situation.

  • Law of associative shifting: a subordinate law describing how a response already tied to one stimulus can gradually be shifted to an entirely new, different stimulus through repeated pairing.

Cross-check: each of these three is explicitly classified in Thorndike's own writings as a subordinate/secondary law, confirming that only the Law of Effect, among the given options, is one of the primary laws of learning.

Explore the full course: Ctet Paper 1

Loading lesson…