Title: Welcome to CK-12 Foundation | CK-12 Foundation
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Content: Classical Conditioning
Classical conditioning is a type of learning in which an animal learns to associate one stimulus with another. In this type of learning, a stimulus that normally produces a particular behavior is linked with a second stimulus. The second stimulus is something neutral to which the animal does not normally respond. If the animal is repeatedly exposed to both stimuli together, it learns to associate the two stimuli. Because of this association, the animal will respond to the second stimulus alone in the same way that it responds to the normal stimulus. A well-known example of classical conditioning is the work of the Russian scientist Ivan Pavlov. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, Pavlov investigated behavior in dogs. As mentioned above, dogs instinctively drool when they see or smell food. They also drool when they think that they are about to be fed. Pavlov conditioned dogs to drool when they heard a particular sound, such as a bell or whistle.