Classic Conditioning: Pavlov’s Discovery of Memorization by Association

Many great discoveries have been made through the field of psychology. Studies have been proven to take place back to the earliest centuries starting with philosophers such as Aristotle and Plato. The study of Psychology became more prominent in the late 1700s and the early 1800’s and has become more developed as recent studies have proven theories from decades before them. One very popular study that is being tested by psychologists every day is the theory of classic conditioning.

The theory of classic conditioning was discovered on accident by a Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov in the beginning of the 20th century. While Pavlov was experimenting on the digestive process in dogs, he discovered their new behaviors of salivating were being regulated. He started to realize that the “psychic secretions” were very similar to the “nervous-chemical” secretions (Todes, 1997). Pavlov started his study by using a Neutral Stimulus (NS), which was the sound of a metronome, and the dogs didn’t salivate. Then, he stimulated the Neutral Stimulus (NS), which was the metronome, and the Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS), which is food, which resulted in the Unconditioned Response (UCR) of salivation from the dogs. Finally, after conditioning, the Conditioned Stimulus (CS), the metronome, was stimulated and the Conditioned Response (CR) resulted in the dogs salivating. Pavlov concluded by saying, "We observed that, after several repetitions of the combined stimulation, the sounds of the metronome had acquired the property of stimulating salivary secretion." (Pavlov, 1927). Therefore, his study of classic conditioning was proven.

In order for this theory to be proven correctly, many different experiments had taken place. Physicians who were trying to become physiologists would work on this project for two years and get a quick doctorate degree mostly conducted the majority of Pavlov’s lab work. Pavlov essentially made into a factory-like atmosphere to help them obtain their...