text: Thorndike's Principles of Learning Applications for Dog Training Edward Thorndike (born 1874) began to develop his “law of effect” in 1905. This concept was central to “principles of learning” (also known as “laws of learning”), which he helped develop later and which underpin a great deal of our current understanding of training. In most cases, Thorndike's Principles of Learning are used to compare and contrast: Different behaviours or different contexts within the behaviour