Classical Conditioning 
 
The acquisition of this learned response occurred over time. The dogs’ salivary reflex was an 
unconditioned response to the unconditioned stimuli (food). Pavlov wondered if he could get the dogs to 
salivate with a neutral stimulus (i.e., a ringing bell). He would ring a bell then feed the dog. After a series 
of these paired occasions, the dogs began to salivate at the sound of the bell alone. The salivation became a 
conditioned response to a conditioned stimulus. The acquisition of this learned behavior (i.e., conditioned 
response) will become extinct if the incentive is no longer associated. Human beings most certainly learn via 
classical conditioning, but it is a passive and straightforward approach to learning. We may shudder when 
we see flashing blue lights in our rearview mirror, salivate when food is cooking in the kitchen, or dance 
when we hear our favorite song. We passively learned these paired events through our experiences. 
B.F. Skinner was also interested in learning and transformed modern psychology with operant 
conditioning. Operant condition is active learning where organisms learn to behave based on reinforcements 
ALISON S. BURKE, DAVID CARTER, BRIAN FEDOREK, TIFFANY MOREY, LORE RUTZ-BURRI, AND SHANELL
SANCHEZ
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