Final answer:
Ivan Pavlov's experiments with dogs led to the discovery of classical conditioning, where dogs learned to associate a bell with food, eliciting salivation. This contrasts with operant conditioning, which is learning from consequences and is used in training animals and understanding the benefits of studying for tests.
Step-by-step explanation:
Ivan Pavlov, a Russian physiologist, significantly contributed to our understanding of learning through his research on dogs, leading to the discovery of classical conditioning. Pavlov originally studied the digestive system and observed that dogs began to salivate not just to food but also to associated stimuli such as the sight of a bowl or the sound of footsteps. This observation indicated a learned response, unlike the natural reflexive salivation to food.
Pavlov conducted experiments where he rang a bell whenever he presented food to the dogs. Over time, the dogs started to salivate upon hearing the bell, even without the presence of food. This response illustrated the basic premise of classical conditioning: a neutral stimulus (the bell) became associated with an unconditioned stimulus (food) to elicit a conditioned response (salivation).
In contrast to classical conditioning, operant conditioning involves learning through consequences, such as training a pet with rewards or punishments. For example, a student's understanding that studying improves grades on an AP test is the result of operant conditioning, as the student associates studying (behavior) with the reward of a good grade (positive outcome).