In 1905, Thorndike formalized the findings from his experiments into what we know today as The Law of Effect. This states that behavior that results in a pleasant outcome is more likely to be repeated, whereas behavior that leads to an unpleasant outcome is less likely to occur again. The opposite holds true if the behavior is not rewarded, or if the behavior causes a loss. These principles are often used in marketing and advertising, where they are called classical conditioning.
An association followed by an unsatisfying outcome will be weakened but, if followed by an agreeable consequence, it will be strengthened. Furthermore, the more often an association is performed, the stronger it becomes. In addition, the greater the number of times an association is used, the stronger it will become. Thorndike further believed that the degree of satisfaction from rewarded actions was equivalent to the level of disappointment from unrewarded ones. However, he found out that reward had more impact on behavior than either punishment or even failure.
