This colorized photograph from 1914 shows the end result of one of the first experiments we learned about in psychology class … the one about how Ivan Pavlov came to understand the concept of classic conditioning by conducting (humane) experiments on dogs. Through his experimentation, he was able to prove that some responses are instinctual, and some are learned. His work helped lay the groundwork for the field of behavioral psychology.
Bierka the dog joins Dr. Ivan Pavlov and others in this colorized photo. (colorized by Klimbim)
Ivan Pavlov, however, was not a psychologist. In fact, he was rather skeptical about the newly formed discipline of psychology as a whole. So how did this Russian scientist and research make waves outside his own discipline? How did Pavlov’s experiments go to the dogs? Let’s find out.
Who Was Ivan Pavlov and What Was He Doing in Science?
Ivan Pavlov (exploringyourmind.com)
Ivan Pavlov was born in a tiny Russian village in 1849. Growing up, his family pushed for him to become a priest. They even sent him to seminary. Pavlov, however, was much more interested in science. When he read the works of Charles Darwin, he decided to leave theology to pursue an education in the sciences at the University of St. Petersburg. He earned degrees in physiology and chemistry and graduated with his doctorate in 1879. He took a job teaching physiology at Russia’s Imperial Medical Academy which allowed him to continue doing his own research on his favorite subjects, digestion and blood circulation.
A Chance Discovery
Pavlov initially experimented on dog digestion. (abaconnect.com)
In the late 1890s, Ivan Pavlov was doing research on the salivation response in dogs. He used a small tube inserted in the cheek of several dogs and measured how much saliva was produced when they were presented with a bowl of food. But Pavlov discovered a problem in his data collection method. The dogs in his experiment did not start salivating when the food was presented to them. They started to salivate when they heard the footsteps of Pavlov’s grad assistant as he was preparing their food and bringing it to them.
Learned Versus Instinctual Responses
One of Pavlov's dogs. (acidrayn.com)
Pavlov knew that dogs have an instinctual, involuntary response to food. That’s a mechanism that all dogs are born with … it is hard wired into their brains. But all dogs are not hard wired to salivate at the sound of a specific person’s shoes. Something else was going on. The dogs had learned that food came just after they heard the grad assistant’s footsteps. Learned behavior was added to the instinctual behavior.
About that Bell
Pavlov's science experiment turned into a psychology experiment. (youtube.com)
Pavlov understood that the dogs had been conditioned to associate the footsteps with upcoming food. This had happened quite by accident, but it made him wonder. Could he use another type of external stimuli to condition the dogs to have the same response as the instinctual one? He started using a metronome. By sounding the metronome several times right before offering food to the dogs, the dogs quickly began to exhibit a conditioned reflex. When he sounded the metronome but presented no food, the dogs still salivated just as they would if they had been given food. He then added a bell to his experiment. Like the metronome, the dogs soon learned to salivate at the sound of the bell ringing, because they associated it with food. Pavlov also sounded the metronome again and again, but this time, he did not offer food to the dogs. The conditioned response soon stopped when the dogs were not given the food.
Publishing Pavlov’s Findings
Pavlov published his findings in 1903. (pinterest.com)
In 1903, Ivan Pavlov published his findings. He coined the terms “conditioning” and “conditioned response” to show how instinctual behavior could be altered through learned behavior. His work, although important to the understanding of physiology and digestion, was picked up by behaviorists and psychologists. They seized on his experiment to show that some behaviors and responses are a matter of instinct and some are acquired later or learned.
A Skeptic of Psychology
Pavlov's work inspired the research of behavioral psychologist John Watson. (pinterest.com)
In the early 1900s, psychology was in its infancy. Pavlov and other scientists regarded it with skepticism, in part because it was hard to quantify. As a whole, the field of psychology was considered a little dubious in the beginning. However, Pavlov conceded that his experiments with conditioned responses could also apply to human behavior. He noted that conditioned responses may explain the odd, unorthodox behavior of psychotic people. Perhaps, he thought, some people choose to isolate themselves because they had learned that some stimuli were associated with fear or pain. In 1913, John Watson, a pioneer in the area of psychology dealing with behaviorist theory, used Pavlov’s research as the launching point for his own studies.
About Those Dogs
Some of the more than 40 dogs that Pavlov used. (eejournal.com)
Although we tend to use Pavlov’s dog in the singular, there were actually more than one dogs on which Pavlov experimented. The dog shown in this colorized photograph was a mutt named Bierka. Bierka became the unofficial poster child of Pavlov’s experiments in conditioning, but she was not alone. Pavlov wasn’t too particular about the dogs he used in his experiments. They ranged greatly in breed, age, size, and color. The vast majority of them were, like Bierka, mutts. At the Pavlov Institute in Koltushi, Russia, visitors can see photographs and names of all of the dogs. Joining Bierka were Beck, Joy, Tungus, Toi, Milkah, and Murashaka. In all, Pavlov experimented in about forty dogs.
A Nobel Prize … But Not for Psychology
Pavlov won a Nobel Prize. (grunge.com)
In 1904, Pavlov’s work in physiology and digestion earned him a Nobel Prize in medicine. Throughout his career, he was highly regarded as one of Russia’s top scientific minds. Although he didn’t want to be a psychologist, his name is forever linked with the study of behaviorism and conditioning, thanks to Bierka shown in this colorized photograph, and her kennel mates.
The photo at the top of this story was colorized by Olga Shirnina, aka Klimbim; you can see more of her work at her Flickr page.
