Animal Intelligence: An Experimental Study of the Associative Processes in Animals (Classic Reprint) - Hardcover

Edward Lee Thorndike

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0265576822 ISBN 13: 9780265576823

Publisher: Forgotten Books, 2018

Synopsis

Explore how animals think through simple associations, not abstract reasoning, and what this means for science and learning.

This classic work argues that many animal actions arise from ordinary associative processes rather than reasoning or innate instincts. It reviews how observation and experiment have shaped our understanding of animal minds, emphasizing careful methods over anecdotes. The book also links animal learning to human cognition, education, and the history of science, inviting readers to rethink imitation, instruction, and intelligence in both animals and people.

Through cautious analysis and a series of experiments, the author examines imitation, learning by doing, and the limits of what animals can transfer from one example to another. It challenges popular storytelling about animal cleverness, while offering practical ideas for teaching and for studying the development of mind across species.

• How associative learning differs from imitating or reasoning in animals
• What experiments reveal about the role of observation in learning
• Implications for pedagogy and how people learn best by doing
• Connections between animal minds and human intellectual progress

Ideal for readers curious about psychology, animal behavior, and the roots of human intelligence in the animal world.

Edition details

• Publisher: Forgotten Books
• Publication date: 2018
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0265576822
• ISBN 13: 9780265576823
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 119