How did cats learn to escape from Thorndike’s puzzle boxes?

In his experiments on animal learning, Edward L. Thorndike discovered that cats learned to escape his puzzle boxes through a process of trial and error rather than through insight or observation.12

When first placed inside a puzzle box, the cat would typically behave in an aimless or frantic manner, eventually triggering the release mechanism—such as a latch, loop, or panel—purely by chance. Once the cat successfully escaped and obtained a food reward, it began to associate that specific action with the satisfying consequence of freedom and nourishment.341

Through repeated trials, the cat became increasingly efficient at performing the correct response. According to Thorndike’s law of effect, this behavior was strengthened because it was closely followed by a satisfying result. Over time, the cat’s aimless movements decreased, and it learned to execute the necessary action almost immediately upon being placed in the box. Thorndike concluded that this form of instrumental conditioning was the primary way animals learned to solve such tasks.4132