Under Edwin Guthrie's Contiguity Theory of Learning, a highly significant and central concept is 'One-Trial Learning', which defines the psychological principle that the association between a stimulus and a response achieves full strength on its very first occurrence if their temporal and spatial contiguity is precise, and that repetition merely increases the number of habits rather than the strength of the association. Regarding the true psychological implications of this concept and its scientific application in classroom teaching for student habit formation, error correction, and immediate response retention, which of the following psychological statements is most authentic and scientifically valid?

Understanding Guthrie's Contiguity Theory

According to Edwin Guthrie's Contiguity Theory of Learning, learning takes place on the basis of contiguity, meaning a combination of stimuli that has accompanied a movement will on its recurrence tend to be followed by that exact movement.

• One-Trial Learning: Guthrie rejected Thorndike's law of effect and argued that an S-R association is fully formed on the very first trial when a stimulus and response occur together.
• Role of Repetition: Repetition does not strengthen the association; rather, it adds new combinations of habits to the repertoire of the learner.
• Classroom Implication: Since the first association is learned fully, teachers must ensure that students make correct responses on the very first attempt to prevent the formation of bad habits or errors.

Therefore, Option B accurately captures the scientific and practical classroom implications of Guthrie's theory.