Editing Classical conditioning (section)

{{merge from|Evaluative conditioning|discuss=Talk:Classical conditioning#Merge proposal|date=March 2025}}
{{Short description|Aspect of learning procedure}}
{{Redirect2|Pavlov's dog|Pavlovian|the Pavlovian Upper Paleolithic culture|Pavlovian culture|other uses|Pavlov's dog (disambiguation)}}

'''Classical conditioning''' (also '''respondent conditioning''' and '''Pavlovian conditioning''') is a behavioral procedure in which a biologically potent [[Stimulus (physiology)|stimulus]] (e.g. food, a puff of air on the eye, a potential rival) is paired with a neutral stimulus (e.g. the sound of a [[Triangle (musical instrument)|musical triangle]]). The term ''classical conditioning'' refers to the process of an automatic, conditioned response that is paired with a specific stimulus.<ref>{{Citation |last1=Rehman |first1=Ibraheem |title=Classical Conditioning |date=2023 |url=http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK470326/ |work=StatPearls |access-date=2023-05-18 |place=Treasure Island (FL) |publisher=StatPearls Publishing |pmid=29262194 |last2=Mahabadi |first2=Navid |last3=Sanvictores |first3=Terrence |last4=Rehman |first4=Chaudhry I.}}</ref> It is essentially equivalent to a signal.

The Russian [[physiology|physiologist]] [[Ivan Pavlov]] studied classical conditioning with detailed [[experiment]]s with dogs, and published the experimental results in 1897. In the study of [[digestion]], Pavlov observed that the experimental dogs salivated when fed red meat.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Introduction to Psychology: Gateways to Mind and Behavior |last1=Coon |first1=Dennis |last2=Mitterer |first2=John O. |publisher=Cengage Learning |year=2008 |isbn=9780495599111 |pages=220}}</ref> Pavlovian conditioning is distinct from [[operant conditioning]] (instrumental conditioning), through which the strength of a voluntary behavior is modified, either by reinforcement or by [[Punishment (psychology)|punishment]]. However, classical conditioning can affect operant conditioning; classically conditioned stimuli can reinforce operant responses.

Classical conditioning is a basic behavioral mechanism, and its [[neural substrate]]s are now beginning to be understood. Though it is sometimes hard to distinguish classical conditioning from other forms of associative learning (e.g. instrumental learning and human [[Associative memory (psychology)|associative memory]]), a number of observations differentiate them, especially the contingencies whereby learning occurs.<ref>{{Cite book |title=The Wiley Blackwell Handbook of Operant and Classical Conditioning |last1=McSweeney |first1=Frances K. |last2=Murphy |first2=Eric S. |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |year=2014 |isbn=9781118468180 |location=Malden. MA |pages=3}}</ref>

Together with [[operant conditioning]], classical conditioning became the foundation of [[behaviorism]], a school of [[psychology]] which was dominant in the mid-20th century and is still an important influence on the practice of [[Psychotherapy|psychological therapy]] and the study of animal behavior. Classical conditioning has been applied in other areas as well. For example, it may affect the body's response to [[Psychoactive drug|psychoactive drugs]], the regulation of hunger, research on the neural basis of learning and memory, and in certain social phenomena such as the [[false consensus effect]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last1=Tarantola |first1=Tor |last2=Kumaran |first2=Dharshan |last3=Dayan |first3=Peter |last4=De Martino |first4=Benedetto |date=2017-10-10 |title=Prior preferences beneficially influence social and non-social learning |journal=Nature Communications |language=en |volume=8 |issue=1 |page=817 |doi=10.1038/s41467-017-00826-8 |pmid=29018195 |pmc=5635122 |bibcode=2017NatCo...8..817T |issn=2041-1723 |doi-access=free}}</ref>