Which conditioning paradigm is most closely associated with Pavlov's experiments and dog salivation?

Which conditioning paradigm is most closely associated with Pavlov's experiments and dog salivation?

• A. Operant conditioning
• B. Pavlovian (classical) conditioning
• C. Thorndike's Law of Effect
• D. Reinforcement

Answer: (B)

The idea being tested is how a neutral cue can come to trigger a automatic response through association. In Pavlov’s dog experiments, the dog naturally salivates to food (that’s the unconditioned response to the unconditioned stimulus). The bell starts as a neutral cue that doesn’t cause salivation. By repeatedly pairing the bell with the food, the dog learns that the bell predicts food. Soon the bell alone elicits salivation, now a conditioned response—the dog has learned an association between the cue (bell) and the outcome (food). This is classical (Pavlovian) conditioning. Operant conditioning, by contrast, focuses on how behaviors are shaped by consequences (reinforcement or punishment) and is a different learning mechanism. Thorndike’s Law of Effect likewise describes learning from outcomes influencing future behavior, not the formation of stimulus-stimulus associations seen in Pavlov’s work.

The idea being tested is how a neutral cue can come to trigger a automatic response through association. In Pavlov’s dog experiments, the dog naturally salivates to food (that’s the unconditioned response to the unconditioned stimulus). The bell starts as a neutral cue that doesn’t cause salivation. By repeatedly pairing the bell with the food, the dog learns that the bell predicts food. Soon the bell alone elicits salivation, now a conditioned response—the dog has learned an association between the cue (bell) and the outcome (food). This is classical (Pavlovian) conditioning.

Operant conditioning, by contrast, focuses on how behaviors are shaped by consequences (reinforcement or punishment) and is a different learning mechanism. Thorndike’s Law of Effect likewise describes learning from outcomes influencing future behavior, not the formation of stimulus-stimulus associations seen in Pavlov’s work.