Final answer:
Tom's experience of hitting his thumb with a hammer while experimenting illustrates learning through trial and error. Immediate feedback shapes his future behavior in fence-building.
Step-by-step explanation:
Tom's experience of hitting his thumb with the hammer while experimenting with holding the nail in a different way illustrates the principles of learning through trial and error. Trial and error is a problem-solving method where individuals try different solutions until they find the one that works best. In this case, Tom tried holding the nail in a different way and hit his thumb, which showed him that his approach was not effective.
Immediate feedback plays a role in shaping Tom's future behavior during the fence-building task. When Tom hit his thumb, he received immediate, negative feedback in the form of pain. This feedback taught him that his current approach was not successful and that he needed to adjust his technique to avoid future pain and injury. Through this immediate feedback, Tom learned to be more careful and deliberate in his actions, which would help him improve his performance during the fence-building task.