Human beings are accustomed to think of intellect as the power of having and controlling ideas and of ability to learn as synonymous with ability to have ideas. But learning by having ideas is really one of the rare and isolated events in nature. – Edward Thorndike
Human folk are as a matter of fact eager to find intelligence in animals. – Edward Thorndike
Human education is concerned with certain changes in the intellects, characters and behavior of men, its problems being roughly included under these four topics: Aims, materials, means and methods. – Edward Thorndike
There is no reasoning, no process of inference or comparison there is no thinking about things, no putting two and two together there are no ideas – the animal does not think of the box or of the food or of the act he is to perform. – Edward Thorndike