Iván Pávlov: biography of this reference of behaviorism
Ivan Petrovich Pávlov was a Russian physiologist well known for his experiments with dogs, which gave rise to what is now known as classical conditioning. Classical or Pavlovian conditioning is the most basic type of associative learning, in which an organism responds to an environmental stimulus, originally neutral, with an automatic or reflex response.
The discoveries of Pavlov they are studied in all the universities of psychology and education sciences , because it is one of the most introductory topics of both careers, and is one of the basic principles of learning. In this article you can find the biography of this famous historical figure and the explanation of why it is considered one of the most important researchers of all time. He won the 1904 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his experiments with dogs.
- Related article: "Classical conditioning and its most important experiments"
Who was Ivan Pavlov?
Ivan Pavlov was born Ryazan, Russia. His father, Peter Dmitrievich Pávlov, was a village priest, and his mother, Varvara Ivanovna, a housewife. As a child, Pávlov was always an active boy who liked to spend hours and hours in the garden or pedaling with his bicycle. He always had a curious mind, and he liked the contact with nature and animals. Pávlov did not mind doing domestic chores and taking care of his brothers. Of 11 brothers he was the oldest.
As he grew older, he seriously considered becoming a priest and training in theology. But during his adolescence, Pavlov became interested in the works of Charles Darwin and Ivan Sechenov , which motivated him to study natural sciences.
In 1870 he enrolled at the University of St. Petersburg to study physics, mathematics and natural sciences . During his university years, he was influenced by his physiology professor and decided that this was the path he wanted to follow in life. Pavlov was always an exceptional student and in 1875 he graduated. He then continued his PhD studies at the Academy of Medical Surgery to continue his education in physiology.
The experiments of dogs
Ivan Pavlov is known for his experiments with dogs. And although today is one of the famous figures of psychology and education, his first intention it was not to study learning, but the salivation of the dogs .
During his experiments, what caught his attention was that, after repeated tests, the dogs segregated the saliva even before his presence (Pávlov's), regardless of whether he fed him or not. This happened because the animals had learned that when Pavlov came through the door they would receive food at any time.
From this discovery, the physiologist devised a series of experiments in which he rang a bell just before handing the food to the dog to measure the production of saliva. Pávlov discovered that once the dogs were trained to associate the sound of the bell with the food, they would produce saliva even if the food was not present. That is to say, that the bell caused the salivation to occur as when the food was present. The experiment showed that the physiological response of the dogs, salivation, had been associated with the stimulus of the bell.
Birth of classical conditioning
Pávlov not only used the campaign as a stimulus, but also later he used other stimuli, both auditory and visual , to produce what he called the conditioned response. His experiments are an example of classical conditioning, which is part of behavioral theory and, therefore, Pavlov's ideas leave aside mental processes to give special importance to observable and measurable behavior. And it is that his experiments have great importance for the development of the scientific method in psychology, and allowed the development of one of the most known theoretical models of learning.
Classical conditioning It is also known as stimulus-response (E-R) learning . In order for learning to occur by association, initially the unconditioned stimulus (EI) is presented, which is a stimulus that automatically provokes a response from the organism. In the case of Pavlov's experiment, it was food. The response that this stimulus causes in the organism is called the unconditioned response (RI). The unconditional response was the amount of saliva that Pávlov's dog secreted.
Then it is necessary to present a neutral stimulus (EN) , that is, the bell in the case of the experiment, which before learning occurs produces no response. Now, when this stimulus occurs repeatedly next to the IS, the neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus (CS), which in itself causes a response similar to that of the unconditioned stimulus. In this case, what happens when you hear the bell is called a conditioned response (RC).
- Related article: "Operant conditioning: concepts and main techniques"
Watson made Pávlov popular in the West
Pávlov was a pioneer in his discovery of classical conditioning; However, his exploits took some time to reach the western world, as these were made in the former Soviet Union. It was thanks to John B. Watson that Pávlov's initial ideas became popular in Europe and America, and they gave rise to the subsequent development of operant or instrumental conditioning .
Both theories make up the behavioral theory, which is considered one of the most outstanding currents of psychology. Watson introduced the classic conditioning in the United States where it had great importance in the American educational system and in world psychology.
If you want to know more about this author, you can visit this article: "John B. Watson: life and work of the behavioral psychologist"
Contributions for behaviorism
Logically, we should not underestimate Watson's work, which was important because it developed Pavlov's initial ideas and applied them to human beings. Among the most important implications of classical conditioning it is possible to highlight:
- Importance in the development and treatment of some pathologies: phobias, anxiety, etc.
- It helped to understand associative learning processes.
- Great influence on the scientific method in Psychology.
- Generation of behavior habits through reinforcement by helping to develop instrumental conditioning.
- Enhancer of the generalization of learning.
