Thorndike's Major Doctrine Contributions

Thorndike's significant contributions to psychology primarily stem from his work on learning and behavior. His doctrine emphasized the connection between stimuli and responses and the factors influencing this connection.

Key Contributions Identified

• Associative shifting: This concept explains how the stimulus associated with a response can be changed over time. It's a crucial part of understanding how learning connections are formed and modified, aligning with Thorndike's focus on stimulus-response bonds.
• Law of effect: This is arguably Thorndike's most influential contribution. It states that behaviors followed by satisfying consequences become more probable, while behaviors followed by annoying consequences become less probable. This principle laid the groundwork for later theories of reinforcement.

Analysis of Options

Based on Thorndike's core principles:

• Option A (Associative shifting) is a recognized contribution.
• Option C (Law of effect) is a cornerstone of Thorndike's theory.
• Option B (Law of similarity) is generally associated with other learning theories, like Gestalt psychology, and is not considered a primary contribution of Thorndike's doctrine.
• Option D (Extinction) is primarily associated with classical conditioning (Pavlovian conditioning), although Thorndike did discuss the weakening of bonds, the 'Law of Effect' is the more direct and major principle regarding response modification.

Therefore, the two major contributions from the given options are Associative shifting (A) and the Law of effect (C).