Ivan Pavlov

Ivan Petrovich Pavlov was born on September 14, 1849 at Ryazan Russia.

His main interest was physiology. What made him famous was the Classical Conditioning theory.
The bulk of his research was in the years 1891-1900 on the physiology of digestion.
In 1903 Pavlov read a paper on The Experimental Psychology and Psychopathology of Animals. The paper gives the definition of conditioned and unconditioned reflexes. It also states that the conditioned reflex should be considered a psychological phenomenon. It was concluded that the conditioned reflex was part of highly developed forms of reactions in animals and humans to their environment.
It was determined that external actions, which coincided in time with an unconditioned reflex, could become the conditioned signal for the creation of a new condition reflex. A conditioned reflex can be created and can also be repressed if it proves to be wrong too often. Pavlov also believed that conditioned reflexes could explain the behavior of psychotic people. He suggested that people who withdrew from the world may associate all stimulus with possible injury or threat.
In 1904 Ivan Pavlov was awarded the Nobel Prize.

He created the first learning theory which precedes the reinforcement learning theory. Classical conditioning does not include rewards and punishments which are key terms in the reinforcement learning theory. Classical conditioning is creating relationships by association.

An example of Ivan Pavlov experiments went something like this:
A dog sees his food and salivates. An unconditioned response.
Food ->Salivation.
Unconditional Stimulus ->Unconditioned Response.

A bell is rung at the same time that a dog sees his food and salivates.
This is repeated several times.
A bell is rung without the food and the dog salivates.
Bell ->Salivation
Conditioned Stimulus ->Conditioned Response

A bell is rung and no food is given to the dog.
This is repeated several times.
A bell is rung without food and the dog no longer salivates.
Bell -> No Salivation
Stimulus -> No Response

Psychological manipulation "mind control" has been documented for over a hundred years.


Classical Conditioning Video - Ivan Pavlov



Behavior and Fear Conditioning Video

Negative Conditioning
Constant State of Interrogation
Conditioned Words - The Identification Word or The Trigger Word


People and Discoveries Ivan Pavlov 1849-1936
Nobel e-Museum Ivan Pavlov - Biography
CLASSICAL CONDITIONING