Classical conditioning is a method used in behavioral studies. It is known as classical because it is the first study of laws of learning/conditioning, It is a learned reaction that you do when evoked by a stimulus.
Ivan Pavlov was the scientist who discovered classical conditioning. Ivan Pavlov was born in Russia. He lived from 1849 - 1936 . Pavlov’s field of study was physiology and natural science.
One of Pavlov’s discoveries was the conditioning of dogs. While working with the dogs he investigated the salivation reaction when food was present. He discovered that the dogs would salivate when he entered the room with and without food. Pavlov then went on to training the dogs. He would ring a bell every time food is served . The bell was repeatedly used as a neutral stimulus. The dogs then grew to associate the sound of the bell with food. This type of response is known as a learnt “conditioned” response. The bell is now a conditioned stimulus. Pavlov created a theory to describe the process. The unconditioned stimulus is the object or the event that provokes a response naturally. The response is known as unconditioned response. A neutral stimulus would be a new stimulus that does not have a response. When the neutral stimulus becomes associated with the unconditioned stimulus it transforms into a conditioned stimulus. The then conditioned response is known as conditioned stimulus..
The discovery made by Pavlov then inspired a scientist called John Watson. Watson applied Pavlov 's theory to human behavior and stated that classical conditioning could explain human behaviour and psychology. In 1913 Watson published a journal titled ‘psychology as the behaviorist views’. Watson strongly believed that individual differences of behaviour were responses to experiences.
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”. John Broadus Watson
Watson noted that the human behaviourisms were patterns of stimulus and response. His most famous discovery was an