Conditioning, Pavlovian

Named after the Russian physiologist Ivan Petrovich Pavlov (1848-1936) who conditioned dogs to respond in what proved to be a predictable manner.

At different points along the dogs' digestive tracts, he had surgically created pockets ('Pavlov pouches') from which he could obtain secretions, the aim being to study the physiology of the digestive tract.

He did so from the salivary glands down to the stomach, liver and pancreas with considerable success and in 1904 (the 4<SUP>th</SUP> year it was awarded) he received the Nobel Prize for 'his work on the physiology of digestion, through which knowledge on vital aspects of the subject has been transformed and enlarged.