Plain English Meaning
A psychologist whose early studies on learning produced the basic rules that aviation instructors still use today when teaching student pilots.
Full Definition
Edward Lee Thorndike (1874–1949) was an American psychologist whose research on how people and animals learn produced the original Laws of Learning — a set of principles (readiness, exercise, effect, primacy, intensity, and recency) that remain foundational to aviation instruction and are referenced directly in the Aviation Instructor’s Handbook.
Context Anchor
Seen in the Aviation Instructor’s Handbook when discussing how flight instructors plan and conduct effective training.
Why Pilots Care
Flight instructors apply his laws to design lessons that strengthen correct , prepare students for each , and use repetition to build reliable flying and reduce training time.