Which of the following best describes the unusual events that occurred in Pavlov's laboratory leading him to the discovery of classical conditioning?
A)Dogs salivated after meat powder was placed in their mouths.
B)Dogs sometimes salivated before meat powder was placed in their mouths.
C)Salivation existed in dogs as an unlearned reflex.
D)Dogs salivated if and only if they were given a reward.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Pavlov's initial aim was to research how often dogs salivated in response to food being presented. However, he found that some dogs began to salivate at the mere sound of the experimenter's footsteps, as they had learned to associate the sound with the presentation of food. This led Pavlov to the discovery of classical conditioning, where a neutral stimulus (the sound of footsteps) could become a conditioned stimulus to produce a conditioned response (salivation). Thus, option B describes the unusual events that occurred in Pavlov's laboratory leading him to the discovery of classical conditioning.

Which of the Following Best Describes the Unusual Events That