You have probably heard of Pavlov’s dogs. Did you know that Pavlov discovered classical conditioning by accident?
Where does the theory of classical conditioning come from?
Ivan Pavlov was a physiologist (not a psychologist or behaviourist) who studied enzymes in dog saliva. In an experiment, dogs were fed powdered food, and their saliva was collected for testing. Pavlov observed that the dogs in the experiment began to salivate as soon as they saw a researcher in a lab coat, even before they could see or smell the food. Pavlov called this psychic secretion. This was later referred to as classical conditioning. Pavlov realised that the dogs had formed a connection between the sight of a researcher and food, resulting in salivation. He extended this association to other sound stimuli, inducing salivation in his research dogs with a metronome, buzzer, and harmonium.
Fun fact: Pavlov never actually used a bell.
What does it mean?
The findings from Pavlov’s various subsequent studies show that associations can be made between an automatic response to a stimulus and something new that may seem to be irrelevant. The elements of classical conditioning are an unconditioned stimulus (US), an unconditioned response (UR), a conditioned stimulus (CS), and a conditioned response (CR).
- Unconditioned stimulus (US): something that unconditionally, automatically triggers a response
- Unconditioned response (UR): something that occurs in response to a stimulus without any prior learning
- Conditioned stimulus (CS): something that used to be a neutral stimulus that previously did not elicit an automatic response
- Conditioned response (CR): something that occurs in response to a previously neutral stimulus
If we pair a neutral stimulus with an unconditioned stimulus enough times, an association is made between the two. This results in a conditioned response.
How is classical conditioning relevant to dog training?
Classical conditioning is highly relevant in dog training because dogs learn associations between different things. Your dog will learn to connect one thing with another. For example, if you consistently pair the sound of a clicker with a tasty treat, your dog will start to associate the clicker sound with the treat. Over time, just the sound of the clicker alone will make your dog excited because they know it means a treat is coming. This process is called conditioning. You can also use classical conditioning to help your dog overcome fears or anxieties. By gradually exposing them to something they’re afraid of, like thunder, while providing positive experiences, you can help them associate thunder with good things and reduce their fear over time. Classical conditioning is a powerful tool that can make training more effective and enjoyable for both you and your dog.
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