Pavlov and classical conditioning

The experiment of Ivan Pavlov and his dogs is one of the most well-known and notable (as it was supposed) in the history of psychology. Thanks to this small accidental discovery, a psychological theory of learning began to be built. Pavlov’s studies have helped us understand associative learning through classical conditioning.

Classical conditioning consists of the association of an initially neutral stimulus with a significant stimulus. In this way, when the neutral stimulus is presented, in the absence of the other, a response similar to what would occur if the significant stimulus were presented. This ability to associate stimuli, no matter how disparate they may be, helps us in a multitude of daily situations.

Next, to approach the understanding of classical conditioning, we are going to discuss two aspects. First of all, we will talk about Pavlov’s experiment and his research and, later, we will present the components that make up this type of conditioning.

Pavlov’s experiment

Ivan Pavlov, a Russian physiologist, investigated the salivation of dogs in the presence of food. In this context, one day he realized that the dogs began to salivate before being presented with food. Only the act of subjecting the dogs to the conditions of the experiment caused the salivation response.

The deduction that Pavlov arrived at was that their dogs had somehow associated the experiment with the presentation of the food. Thus, to unravel the mysteries of this learning, Pavlov began to design a series of experiments. His objective was to test his hypothesis that when two stimuli are presented contingently, they become associated.

The experiment that demonstrated the existence of classical conditioning was the association of a bell sound with food. To achieve this, Pavlov placed saliva meters on a series of dogs. The procedure consisted of Pavlov ringing a bell and then food was presented to them.. And obviously, after presenting the food, the meters indicated salivation in the dogs.

However, After a series of presentations of the two stimuli (bell and food) contingently, Pavlov managed to associate them. This was demonstrated because the presentation of the bell sound alone managed to provoke salivation in the dogs. Of course, it is important to note that this was less than the salivation that occurred when the food was presented.

This experiment demonstrated that an initially neutral stimulus can provoke a totally new response through its association with a significant stimulus. This is what is known as classical conditioning.

The components of classical conditioning

When analyzing classical conditioning we can say that It is made up of four main components. These components are the unconditioned and conditioned stimulus, and the unconditioned and conditioned response. Understanding the relationships and formation of these components will help us understand classical conditioning.

Below we briefly explain each of these components and the relationship between them:

Unconditioned stimulus (US): It is that stimulus that already has a significant character for the subject. That is, a stimulus that is capable of provoking a response on its own. In Pavlov’s experiment, the unconditioned stimulus would be food.Unconditioned response (IR): is the response that the subject emits when faced with the unconditioned stimulus. In the case of the experiment, the unconditioned response would be the secretion of saliva due to the presentation of the food.Conditioned stimulus (CS): This would be the initially neutral stimulus, which does not generate any significant response in the subject. But, through association with the unconditioned stimulus, it is capable of emitting a new response. In the case of Pavlov’s experiment it would be the ringing of the bell.Conditioned response (CR): is the response that is emitted after the presentation of the conditioned stimulus. In the case of the experiment it would be the salivation of the dogs after hearing the sound of the bell.

Classical conditioning consists of the interaction of these components. The presentation of a neutral stimulus together with an unconditioned stimulus will often transform the neutral stimulus into a conditioned stimulus.. And for this reason the conditioned stimulus will give a conditioned response, similar to the unconditioned response. Thus creating new learning through the association of two stimuli.

How classical conditioning works

Classical conditioning involves forming a connection between two stimuli, resulting in a learned response. To reach this result, three basic phases.

Phase 1: before conditioning

In this phase, The unconditioned stimulus produces an unconditioned response. This means that an environmental stimulus has generated a response that has not been learned (i.e., is not conditioned) and is therefore a natural response that has not been taught. In this sense, no behavior has yet been learned. For example, a virus (EI) would produce a nausea response (RI).

This phase includes another stimulus that has no effect on the organism, that is, it is a neutral stimulus. This can be a person, an object, a place, etc. The neutral stimulus does not cause a response until it is associated with the unconditioned stimulus.

Phase 2: during conditioning

During this phase of the classical conditioning process, the neutral stimulus is repeatedly associated with the unconditioned stimulus. As a result of this pairing, a connection is formed between the previously neutral stimulus and the unconditioned stimulus.

At this point, the once neutral stimulus is now known as the conditioned stimulus (CS). The organism has been conditioned (taught) to respond to this stimulus. The CS is a previously neutral stimulus that, after being associated with the unconditioned stimulus, finally triggers a conditioned response similar to the one that the US is capable of eliciting.

Phase 3: after conditioning

Once the association between the US and the CS has been made, presentation of the conditioned stimulus alone will elicit a response, even without the unconditioned stimulus present. This resulting response is known as a conditioned response. For example, a person (EC) who has associated himself with a good perfume (EI) now finds himself attractive (RC), but before the association, being an EN, he did not perceive himself that way.

Examples of classical conditioning

Many examples of this type of conditioning can be observed in everyday life. Some of them are:

At school the bell means the beginning of recess. When it is repeated, students associate it with the feeling of independence and tranquility that they experience during recess. A traumatic experience associated with a specific space can cause an unpleasant sensation when the person returns to the place where the event took place. When a child hears the sound of an ice cream truck, he immediately gets excited and wants ice cream. So the stimulus is noise and the response is the desire to eat ice cream. Touch something hot. Children quickly try to avoid this experience by associating the pain of a burn with an object that caused them harm by burning them. When a dog sees a bowl of food, he associates it with its usual contents and thus transmits the emotion of eating.

These examples show how a stimulus that initially does not generate any type of response (EN) ends up causing one when associated with other stimuli (EI) capable of activating a response.

John Watson and Pavlov’s discovery

Delighted by Pavlov’s findings, John Watson proposed that classical conditioning could also explain the learning process in humans. In this sense, he thought that emotions were also learned through conditioned association. He even thought that the differences in behavior between humans were caused by the different experiences that each one lived.

To test your theory He performed the famous experiment with “Little Albert,” an 11-month-old baby, who was conditioned to fear a white rat. The design was to present the child with a white rat and at the same time a loud noise (hitting a bar behind the child’s head). After several trials, the boy sobbed just by seeing the rat.

In this case, yese associated the blow of a hammer on the metal board (EI) and the presence of a white rat (CS) that was previously a neutral stimulus. Therefore, the emotional response of fear (CR) began to appear in the mere presence of the rat, thus demonstrating that fear can be learned by classical conditioning.

In fact, This is one of the most common mechanisms for acquiring phobias.. It is worth mentioning that this experiment could not be carried out today, since it exceeds the limits of scientific ethics.

To conclude, we highlight the multitude of studies that arose as a result of classical conditioning, which They have helped us greatly understand many aspects of human learning.

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