Title: Classical Conditioning: How It Works and How It Can Be Applied
Headings: Classical Conditioning and How It Relates to Pavlov’s Dog
Classical Conditioning and How It Relates to Pavlov’s Dog
Classical conditioning definition
Classical conditioning process
Terms to know
Stages of Pavlovian conditioning
Before conditioning
During conditioning
After conditioning
Try it for yourself
Examples of classical conditioning
Example 1
Example 2
Example 3
Classical conditioning vs. operant conditioning
Applications to mental health
Phobias
PTSD
Drug use
Classical conditioning in therapies
Takeaway

Content: Classical Conditioning: How It Works and How It Can Be Applied
Classical Conditioning and How It Relates to Pavlov’s Dog
Medically reviewed by Timothy J. Legg, Ph.D., CRNP — Written by Jamie Elmer on January 8, 2020
Definition
How it works
Examples
Vs. operant conditioning
Applications
Summary
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Classical conditioning definition
Classical conditioning is a type of learning that happens unconsciously. When you learn through classical conditioning, an automatic conditioned response is paired with a specific stimulus. This creates a behavior. The best-known example of this is from what some believe to be the father of classical conditioning: Ivan Pavlov. In an experiment on canine digestion, he found that over time dogs were salivating not only when their food was presented to them, but when the people who fed them arrived. To test his theory that the dogs were salivating because they were associating the people with being fed, he began ringing a bell and then presenting the food so they’d associate the sound with food. These dogs learned to associate the bell ringing with food, causing their mouths to salivate whenever the bell rang — not just when they encountered the food.