ABSTRACT
This chapter describes basic principles and procedures of respondent conditioning, also called Pavlovian conditioning, or classical conditioning. It defines respondent conditioning, higher-order conditioning, respondent extinction, and counterconditioning. The chapter explains how respondent conditioning is involved in digestion, circulation, and respiration. It then discusses several applications of respondent conditioning principles. The chapter also distinguishes between reflexes and operant behavior, and between respondent conditioning and operant conditioning. Behavioral principles and procedures are essentially ways of manipulating stimuli in order to influence behavior. A conditioned reflex is a stimulus–response relationship in which a stimulus elicits a response because of prior respondent conditioning. In addition to salivation, a stomach reaction, feelings of nausea, and defecation are digestive responses that are susceptible to Pavlovian conditioning. The circulatory system is involved when a scary scene in a movie or novel causes one's heart to pound and when nude photographs elicit increased heart rate and increased blood flow to the genitals.
