Designated Study: Pavlov's Dogs (Pavlov, 1902)

aim

to determine if certain behavior's, e.g. salivation, could be conditioned through association with a neutral stimulus(e.g. bell)

method

dogs situated in harness with salivation tubes surgically inserted. When dogs were presented with food, UCS, they salivated, UCR. Next, prior to feeding, dogs were exposed to sound of a bell (NS). This is repeated multiple times.

key findings

when dogs presented with food, they salivate, UCR. Dogs eventually learned that the bell, NS, predicted the arrival of food, UCS, and would salivate in the absence of food, CR

contributions to psych

that learning can occur by associating an unrelated stimulus with a reflexive response. Informed future work of Watson and Rayner- who applied the process to human child, demonstrated principles of generalisation and extinction

criticisms and limitations

ignores additional influences on conditioning

cognitive- organisms can anticipate stimuli

biological- depends on the sense in which stimuli are presented

ethical considerations include

• suffering of animals that were restrained and operated on to insert tubes could have been reduces in number or procedure refined to minimise time in restraint