Name a classic experiment demonstrating classical conditioning.

• A. Skinner's box with rats or pigeons
• B. Little Albert
• C. Pavlov's dogs
• D. Thorndike's puzzle box

Answer: (C)

Classical conditioning is learning through association, where a neutral signal comes to trigger a response after it’s repeatedly paired with something that already triggers that response.

Pavlov's dogs laid this out in a clean, memorable way. Initially, food naturally causes salivation (an unconditioned response). A bell rings, but it doesn’t cause salivation (the bell is a neutral stimulus). By repeatedly pairing the bell with the presentation of food, the dogs learn that the bell predicts food. After enough pairings, the bell alone elicits salivation, even when no food is present (the bell becomes a conditioned stimulus and salivation becomes a conditioned response). This setup clearly demonstrates acquisition, and it also allows study of extinction (if the bell rings without food over time, salivation fades), generalization (salivation to similar sounds), and discrimination (salivation only to the specific bell that predicts food).

Other options illustrate different kinds of learning: Skinner’s box and Thorndike’s puzzle box concern operant (instrumental) conditioning, where behavior is shaped by consequences. Little Albert is a classical conditioning example focusing on conditioned fear, but Pavlov’s experiment is the seminal, textbook demonstration of the basic mechanism.