Pavlovian

What does Pavlovian mean?

The term 'Pavlovian' comes from the name of the Russian physiologist, Ivan Pavlov, and refers to the study of learning and conditioning as seen in Pavlov's famous experiment with dogs. Pavlovian, or classical, conditioning involves learning relationships between events, such as a cue and a subsequent outcome. Pairing a cue with an outcome is a common procedure, but repetition alone is not sufficient in every case, and the learned response need not copy the unconditioned response.

Key Concepts

• Unconditioned Stimulus (US)

  This refers to a stimulus that naturally and automatically triggers a response without any learning needed. In Pavlov's experiment, food was the unconditioned stimulus as it naturally triggered salivation in dogs.

• Unconditioned Response (UR)

  An unconditioned response is an automatic reaction to an unconditioned stimulus. It occurs naturally and needs no training. In Pavlov's experiment, the dogs' salivation in response to the food was the unconditioned response.

• Conditioned Stimulus (CS)

  The conditioned stimulus was originally a neutral stimulus that, after being repeatedly associated with the unconditioned stimulus, comes to trigger a conditioned response. In a simplified illustration, a tone that predicts food can become a conditioned stimulus. Pavlov's research used many stimuli; the familiar bell example summarizes the principle rather than one definitive experiment.

• Conditioned Response (CR): a Pavlovian response

  A conditioned response is the learned response to the previously neutral stimulus. In the simplified tone-and-food example, salivation in response to the tone is the conditioned response.

Applications and Implications

Classical or Pavlovian conditioning has been used to explain a wide range of phenomena, including aspects of human and animal behavior. The basic principles of Pavlovian conditioning have been applied in many therapeutic techniques in the field of psychology, such as aversion therapy and systematic desensitization for treating phobias. They are relevant to learned emotional responses and cue-related behavior in addiction. Habituation, by contrast, is generally classified as non-associative learning.

Related Terms

• Operant Conditioning

  While Pavlovian conditioning is about associating two stimuli, operant conditioning involves learning through the consequences of behavioral responses. This concept was developed by B.F. Skinner and emphasizes the impact of rewards and punishments on behavior.

• Extinction

  In the context of Pavlovian conditioning, extinction refers to a reduction in the conditioned response when the conditioned stimulus is repeatedly presented without the unconditioned stimulus. For instance, repeatedly presenting the tone without food can reduce salivation to the tone.

• Spontaneous Recovery

  This refers to the reappearance of a previously extinguished conditioned response after a period of rest. For example, after extinction, salivation to the tone may reappear when tested after a break.

Sources and further reading

Rescorla: what Pavlovian conditioning involves; Rankin and colleagues: non-associative habituation.