Roger K. Thomas (1994) Pavlov's Dogs "dripped Saliva at the Sound of a Bell"
. Psycoloquy: 5(80) Pavlov Bell (4)
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Psycoloquy 5(80): Pavlov's Dogs "dripped Saliva at the Sound of a Bell"
PAVLOV'S DOGS "DRIPPED SALIVA AT THE SOUND OF A BELL"
Commentary on Littman on Pavlov-Bell
Roger K. Thomas
Department of Psychology
University of Georgia
Athens, GA 30602-3013
rkthomas@uga.cc.uga.edu
Abstract
Littman (1994) pursued Catania's (1994) query about
whether Pavlov had ever used a bell as a conditioned stimulus (CS).
Catania and Littman were unable to find evidence that Pavlov used a
bell. Littman argued that the bell as the prototypical CS was
probably attributable to V.M. Bekhterev and John B. Watson. Thomas
(1994) commented that Pavlov used a bell in an experiment
with mice reported in 1923 and retracted in 1927, but that it was
unclear whether Littman's argument was affected. Davis (1994)
supported Littman by arguing that since the bell was electric and
the mouse experiment was operant, Littman's argument was preserved.
I have since learned of three additional references to Pavlov's use
of a bell that strongly challenge Littman's argument as supported
by Davis.
Keywords
conditioning, Watson, Bekhterev, behaviorism, Pavlov
References
- Catania, A.C. (1994). Query: Did Pavlov's Research Ring a Bell? PSYCOLOQUY Newsletter, Tuesday, June 7, 1994.
- Conditioned Reflexes. (1928, March 19). TIME, THE WEEKLY NEWS- MAGAZINE, vol. 11, no. 12, p. 20.
- Davis, H. (1994). Pavlov's Bell-less Status May Still Be Intact: Commentary on Thomas' "Pavlov Used A Bell". PSYCOLOQUY 5(76) pavlov-bell.8.davis.
- Littman, R.A. (1994). Bekhterev and Watson Rang Pavlov's Bell: A Reply to Catania's Query. PSYCOLOQUY 5(49) pavlov-bell.1.littman.
- Nichtenhauser, A. (1953). A Half-Century of Motion Pictures in Neurology. In A. Nichtenhauser, M.L. Coleman, and D.S. Ruhne (Eds.), FILMS IN PSYCHIATRY, PSYCHOLOGY, & MENTAL HEALTH (pp. 44-54). New York: Health Education Council.
- Pavlov, I.P. (1923, July 23). TIME, THE WEEKLY NEWS-MAGAZINE, vol. 1, no. 21, pp. 20-21.
- Pavlov, I.P. (1906). The Scientific Investigation of the Psychical Faculties or Processes in the Higher Animals. SCIENCE, 24, 613-619.
- Schneider, J.M. (1970). FILMS IN THE BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES: AN ANNOTATED CATALOG. Oklahoma City: Behavioral Sciences Media Laboratory.
- Thomas, R.K. (1994). PAVLOV USED A BELL: Commentary on Littman on Pavlov-Bell. PSYCOLOQUY 5.63.pavlov.bell.2.thomas.