Ivan Pavlov
The Father of Classical Conditioning
The Birth of Classical Conditioning
Ivan Pavlov is best known for his studies on conditioning dogs. He was the first physiologist to produce conditioned reflexes. He conducted his studies by measuring the gasses released in a dogs stomach when it salivated. He would feed the dog after each tick of a metronome, causing it to salivate. After many times of feeding the dog and the dog salivating, Pavlov took away the food. The dog had gone through the motions so many times that even without the food it still salivated with every tick of the metronome.
The Tie Between Two Sciences
Although Pavlov was a physiologist, he still created an experiment that is studied by psychologists everyday. Classical conditioning is an important aspect of psychology because it studies human behavior and he we learn or react to certain conditions. Psychologists use his findings every day to train people or animals to act a certain way. Some use it to treat phobias while others use it to break dangerous habits.