Final answer:
The correct answer is C) Reinforcer: Food; Behavior: Escaping from a puzzle box; Effect: Increased escaping behavior. In Thorndike's cat experiment, the primary reinforcer was food, which increased the frequency of the cat escaping the puzzle box.
Step-by-step explanation:
In Thorndike's cat experiment, the reinforcer was food, the behavior that resulted in the reinforcer was escaping from a puzzle box, and the effect of reinforcement was an increase in the escaping behavior of the cat. Therefore, the correct answer is C) Reinforcer: Food; Behavior: Escaping from a puzzle box; Effect: Increased escaping behavior. Edward Thorndike's law of effect, which is a foundation for operant conditioning, states that behaviors followed by satisfying consequences are more likely to be repeated, while behaviors followed by unpleasant consequences are less likely to be repeated. Operant conditioning relies on the consequence after the behavior to reinforce or punish the subject, thereby shaping the occurrence of the targeted behavior. In this experiment, food served as a primary reinforcer because it naturally satisfies a biological need, and the cat learned to associate the behavior of escaping the box with this satisfying consequence.