In the late 1800s, edward thorndike observed cats placed in a specially designed box. when a cat pressed a lever –, the cat could leave through a door that opened—a "– state of affairs" for the cat, as thorndike termed it. over time, the cats learned to press the lever –. learning a behavior by observing the consequences is called – conditioning. thorndike called the tendency of behavior with desirable results to be repeated the –.