Pavlovian

Pavlovian, in psychology, refers to the theory and processes of classical conditioning as first described by Ivan Pavlov, a Russian physiologist. In his experiments with dogs, he showed that a neutral stimulus could trigger a reflex after being paired with a stimulus that naturally elicited that reflex. This led to the concept of the conditioned reflex.

In classical (Pavlovian) conditioning, there are several key terms. An unconditioned stimulus (US) naturally elicits an unconditioned response (UR). A neutral stimulus (NS) does not elicit the UR initially. When the NS is repeatedly paired with the US, the NS becomes a conditioned stimulus (CS) and the elicited response is a conditioned response (CR), which is similar to the UR. A common example is a bell (CS) paired with food (US) to produce salivation (CR) in dogs, after repetition.

Important processes include acquisition (the formation of the CS–US association), extinction (the diminishing of the CR when the CS is presented without the US), spontaneous recovery (the reappearance of a extinguished CR after a rest), generalization (responding to stimuli similar to the CS), and discrimination (learning to respond only to the CS and not to similar stimuli).

Pavlovian conditioning has influenced many areas of psychology and behavior, including therapies for anxiety and phobias, behavioral training, and educational and advertising practices. It contrasts with operant conditioning, which emphasizes learning from the consequences of voluntary behavior. Critics note that it may oversimplify learning by overlooking cognitive factors, though modern theories often integrate both conditioning and cognition.