Comparative Psychology and the Objectification of Mind: Thorndike's Cats in the Puzzle-Box

Abstract

espanolAnimal Intelligence: An Experimental Study of the Associative Process in Animals de E. L. Thorndike supuso una significativa contribucion a la Psicologia del siglo XX. En los manuals el texto se atribuye a Thorndike, sin marores precisiones. El diseno parece simple y convincente: por ensayo y error los gatos aprenden a escapar de una caja-problema. Sin embargo, un examen detenido revela multiples controles, innovaciones estadisticas y una fuerte interpretacion teorica. Esta sofisticacion plantea algunas cuestiones: ?realizo un joven estudiante de postgrado este complejo experimento? ?por que se financio este costoso experimento? ?se ha tornado lo convencional en un mito? Este articulo profundiza en la compleja relacion entre el proyecto funcionalista de James, el de los tests mentales de Cattel y la psicologia comparada de Morgan y Romanes, para concluir que el experimento de Thorndike fue el medio necesario para dotar al funcionalismo de un experimento fundacional y consagrar la curva del aprendizaje como el metodo de esta perspectiva cientifica EnglishAnimal Intelligence: An Experimental Study of the Associative Process in Animals by Edward L. Thorndike contributed significantly to psychology in the 20th century. In textbooks, the experiment is attributed to Thorndike without qualification. The design looks simple and produces conviction; by trial and error, cats learn to escape from a puzzle-box. But closer reading reveals multiple controls, innovation in statistical methods, and strong theoretical interpretation. This sophistication raises questions: Did a young graduate student do this complicated experiment? Why was this expensive study funded? Is the convention now myth? This paper delves into the complex relationship between James’s functionalist project, Cattell’s mental testing and the comparative psychology of Morgan and Romanes, to conclude that Thorndike’s experiment was the means to provide functionalism with a foundational experiment and consecrate the learning curve as the method of this scientific perspective.