Final answer:
Ivan Pavlov influenced John B. Watson by demonstrating classical conditioning, where a conditioned reflex can be elicited from a neutral stimulus after repeated association with an unconditioned stimulus.
Step-by-step explanation:
Ivan Pavlov helped influence the work of John B. Watson, a well-known behaviorist, by demonstrating that a form of learning known as a conditioned reflex could be produced in an animal or human in response to a stimulus, which eventually becomes associated with a different, initially neutral, stimulus. This process is known as classical conditioning. In Pavlov's well-known experiments with dogs, he discovered that after repeatedly pairing a neutral stimulus (such as a bell) with an unconditioned stimulus (food), the dogs would begin to salivate in response to the bell alone. This foundational work laid the groundwork for Watson's belief that human behavior, including emotions, could be shaped by conditioning, leading Watson to conduct his own famous experiments such as the conditioning of fear in an infant known as Little Albert.