Classical conditioning was based upon Pavlov’s finding that repeated pairing of a stimulus and a reward (a conditioned stimulus) can cause a response (an unconditioned response). Although subsequent behaviorist psychologists such as B.F. Skinner refined and extended the idea of classical conditioning, it remained generally accepted that repetition was necessary for reinforcement.
However, not all behaviorists agreed. Edwin Guthrie, a firm believer in Thorndike’s behavioral psychology, yet felt that the association between a particular action and its consequence was formed the first time it was performed. He argued that any number of repetitions were unnecessary for establishing the association. On the contrary, he pointed out that after only one visit to a source of food, a rat would return to that same source. In addition, he also noted that rats could learn to associate a cue with a shock if they received no reward for doing so.
In puzzle-box experimentation, he observed that cats make an instant connection between activating a device and escaping; a one-time experience that they repeat. Guthrie explained this as “learning” a movement; a combination of related actions becomes an act and, along with them, acts comprise behavior. Repeating a sequence of motions does not require reinforcement, but can lead to the creation of behaviors that we recognize as habits.
