Who has propounded the law of trial and error of learning?

CONCEPT: Trial-and-error learning is a theory in which an organism facing a problem tries out various responses; the response that produces a satisfying outcome gets strengthened through repetition, while unsuccessful responses are gradually eliminated. APPLICATION: E. L. Thorndike studied this using puzzle-box experiments with cats. A hungry cat, placed inside a box, had to manipulate a lever or loop to escape and reach food outside. Initially the cat made many random, unsuccessful movements, but the one movement that opened the door was gradually 'stamped in' over successive trials, while ineffective movements were 'stamped out'. From this, Thorndike formulated the Law of Effect and identified trial and error as the basic process of learning. CROSS-CHECK: This contrasts with the other names linked to learning theory: Kohler's chimpanzee studies produced insight learning, where the solution appeared suddenly once the animal grasped the whole situation, not through incremental trial and error; Pavlov's dogs demonstrated classical conditioning, learning by associating a neutral stimulus with a reflex; and the Gestalt school, similarly to Kohler, holds that learning occurs through sudden perceptual reorganization of the whole field. None of these three describe learning as a gradual stamping-in of successful responses through repeated trial and error. Result: the law of trial and error of learning was propounded by Thorndike.