Skinner and Thorndike

Edward Thorndike:

1. Explain Thorndike's puzzle-box experiment.
He placed cats in a puzzle box and analyzed the behavior which the cats exhibited while trying to escape the puzzle box and obtain the food.
2. Explain Thorndike's "Law of Effect".
The Law of Effect states that future behaviors may be determined by consequences. If consequences are positive, the same behavior is more likely to occur later. While if consequences are negative, the behavior is more unlikely to happen.
3. Explain Thorndike's "Law of Exercise".
The law of exercise states that behaviors or responses, are strengthened through repetition, practice or experience.
B.F. Skinner:

1. Explain Skinner's concept of Operant Conditioning
The concept of Operant conditioning states that factors such as reinforcement and punishment influence our behavior. These factors may be either positive or negative.
2. What does  reinforcement always do?
It always tends to attempt to maintain a particular behavior.
3. What does a punishment alsways do?
It always tends to attempt to make a behavior to decrease or disappear.
4. Explain the difference between "positive" and "negative" as they are used in opernat conditioning.

Positive refers to give something, negative means to take away something. When referring to “something”, it is being referred to either a reinforcement or punishment, which may be positive or negative.

Sources
1.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Thorndike
2.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operant_conditioning