Question

Why would Pavlov's dogs begin salivating when seeing a research assistant enter the laboratory?

Select one:
a. because the assistant always made a noise when entering the room
b. because the dogs' salivary glands became activated at random moments
c. because the dogs were excited and therefore had their sympathetic nervous systems activated
d. because the dogs associated the assistant with another stimulus.

Answer 1

Pavlov's dogs began salivating when seeing a research assistant enter the laboratory because they associated the assistant with another stimulus.

Step-by-step explanation:

Pavlov's dogs would begin salivating when seeing a research assistant enter the laboratory because they associated the assistant with another stimulus, the presence of food. This phenomenon is known as classical conditioning. Initially, the dogs naturally salivated at the sight or smell of food, an unconditioned response to an unconditioned stimulus. Through repeated experiments where a neutral stimulus, such as the sight of a research assistant (later becoming a conditioned stimulus), was paired with the presentation of food, the dogs began to salivate upon just seeing the assistant, demonstrating a conditioned response. This indicates that a form of learning had taken place, where the dogs had learned to associate the non-food related stimulus with the arrival of food.