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The Sane Positivist A Biography of Edward L. Thorndike by Geraldine Joncich

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and mental measurement. His primary influence was William James; in turn, his lifetime achievements proved to influence the likes of B.F. Skinner and John B. Watson. Thorndikes accomplishments,  which were fundamentally based in animal psychology, are readily chronicled in Geraldine Joncichs The Sane Positivist: A Biography Of Edward L. Thorndike. Joncich covers every aspect of Thorndikes life  and career as it relates to the field of psychology, effectively supplying the reader with the opportunity to gain a much more comprehensive perspective of this scientifically influential man.  The practice of psychology stems from a portion of philosophy that addresses the issue of behaviorism, an area upon which Thorndike made monumental  contributions. His learning theory combined the principle of effect - success, pleasure and satisfaction - to that of Hermann Ebbinghauss principle of exercise. It was with the help  of this theory that Thorndike abandoned mentalism theories and sought to establish an existence for the notion of behaviorism (Joncich PG). His literary works span several years and hundreds  of publications his thesis Animal Intelligence, Educational Psychology and Mental and Social Measurements. When one hears the phrases "learning theory" and "animal intelligence,"  the first name that typically comes to mind is Edward Lee Thorndike. Considered one of the leading educators in the field of psychology, Thorndike set a significant precedence with  regard to animal behavior and the learning process. The psychologist, who might readily be categorized as second behind Sigmund Freud as the worlds most profound figure in the field,  was instrumental in setting forth specific assertions that categorize learned animal behavior as quite divergent from its human counterpart. Indeed, it is this field of endeavor in which he