IVAN PAVLOV AND CLASSİCAL CONDITIONING
Learning is the process by which new knowledge, behavior, attitudes and ideas are acquired. Learning can occur both unconsciously and consciously. Classical conditioning is one of the unconscious learning methods and the easiest way for people to learn. Classical conditioning is the process by which an automatic, conditioned response is paired with certain stimuli.
The best-known and most comprehensive work on classical conditioning is by Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov, born in the mid-1800s. Pavlov had such a great influence on the study of classical conditioning that it is often referred to as Pavlov's conditioning. (Rehman, 2023). Classical conditioning is frequently described by saying that Pavlov presented an random stimulus to a dog, now called the conditioned stimulus, or shortly CS. The CS was followed by another stimulus, now called the unconditioned stimulus or US (food). The US automatically evoked a response called the unconditioned response or UR (salivation). As a result of this pairing, the CS began to elicit some of the unconditioned response even when presented alone. The response to the CS was called the conditioned response or CR (salivation) (McSweeney & Bierley, 1984). In Pavlov's experiment, food was used as a unconditioned stimulus. An unconditioned response is defined as an instinctive response to a stimulus. Dogs' salivation for food is the unconditioned response in Pavlov's experiment. A conditioned stimulus is a stimulus that, after a certain period of time, can trigger a learned response.In the experiment described, the conditioned stimulus was the ringing of the bell and the conditioned response was salivation (Rehman, 2023). Pavlov learned a lot about conditioning, and it is interesting to ask how much we have learned about it since then. In the three-quarter century following Pavlov's work, factual knowledge of classical conditioning continued (Bitterman, 2006).
Classical conditioning has played an important role in the field of psychology, contributing to our understanding of how behaviors and responses are learned. Behavior therapy is particularly important in areas such as the development of phobias and understanding placebo effects. One of the most important contributions of classical conditioning is its application in behavior therapy, especially in the treatment of phobias and anxiety disorders. Therapists can help patients unlearn conditioned fear responses by repeatedly exposing individuals to the source of their fear in a controlled environment. (Van den Hout & Merckelbach, 1991). Additionally, classical conditioning is thought to be a mechanism in placebo effects, in which individuals experience actual changes in their state due to conditioned responses rather than active treatment. This is particularly evident in studies involving pain management, where patients conditioned to associate a particular treatment with pain relief may experience analgesia even when given a placebo (Babel, 2019).
And there is another area where classical conditioning has been used recently and that is advertising. There is also some evidence that classical conditioning can change consumer behavior. (McSweeney & Bierley, 1984). Classical conditioning is recognized in the consumer behavior literature as a mechanism for understanding and producing advertising effects (Allen & Madden, 1985). Drinks without alcohol are associated with catchy music, breakfast cereals are associated with famous athletes, etc. Supermarkets play music to customers while they shop. All of this is done in the hope of changing consumer behavior (McSweeney & Bierley, 1984).
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Bąbel, P. (2019). Classical conditioning as a distinct mechanism of placebo effects. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00449
Bitterman, M. E. (2006). Classical conditioning since Pavlov. Review of General Psychology, 10(4), 365-376. https://doi.org/10.1037/1089-2680.10.4.365
McSweeney, F. K., & Bierley, C. (1984). Recent developments in classical conditioning. Journal of Consumer Research, 11(2), 619–631. https://doi.org/10.1086/208999
Rehman, I., Mahabadi, N., Sanvictores, T., & Rehman, C. I. (2023). Classical conditioning. In StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing. https://orcid.org/0009-0002-4974-736X
Van den Hout, M., & Merckelbach, H. (1991). Classical Conditioning: Still Going Strong.
Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy, 19(1), 59-79. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0141347300011514
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