From the very first minutes of life, any living creature has unconditioned reflexes. This is important, since they help to adapt and survive in the world around us, which is fraught with many dangers. Over time, unconditioned reflexes develop, and in addition to them, acquired reflexes appear, which are developed after receiving any life experience. They are called conditional.
What is a conditioned reflex?
This term refers to nothing more than a temporary connection that arose as a result of the combination of an unconditioned and conditioned stimulus. This reflex is based on temporary connections that appear between some nerve structures in the empirical experience of living things. A conditioned reflex is carried out by the higher parts of the brain. Those reflexes that belong to the unconditioned, for all representatives of the same species are no different from each other, and conditioned reflexes are incredibly diverse. Each living individual has their own.
The variety of conditioned reflexes can be explained by the fact that each living creature develops in its own way: external stimuli act differently on everyone, each psyche is arranged individually, life situations are different, and so on.
The conditioned reflexes of man, like any other living being, are based on unconditioned reflexes. As external stimuli can act any external factors. They can be separate, but also represent a whole chain of conditions. As a simple example of a conditioned reflex, one can cite the following situation: the bell rings - the student begins to collect notebooks laid out on the desk. He does this unconsciously, but on the “machine”, as a call for him serves as a signal that it is time to leave. If you put a preschooler or a person who hasn’t studied anywhere for a long time at the desk, give a lecture, and then give a call, he will not move for a long time. This suggests that this conditioned reflex is present only for those whose main activity is study.
Conditioned reflexes can be divided into two large groups: instrumental and classical. In classical reflexes, the reaction appears without any additional reinforcements, while in instrumental reflexes a living being receives some kind of “reward” after a reaction to the stimulus has followed.
Pavlov and his dogs
It was the Russian academician I.P. Pavlov who discovered conditioned reflexes. He also made a considerable contribution to their study. His works helped to understand and study the most complex organ of living things. Of course, we are talking about the brain.
The academician mainly conducted experiments on dogs. The animal was placed in a chamber, which was completely isolated from external stimuli, but it was also designed so that the experimenter could monitor the animal, while remaining unnoticed. Often the dog was fixed with a special device that prevented it from moving. It is also worth noting that before the experiments the animals underwent surgery, thanks to which it became possible to monitor how much saliva they secrete.
During the experiment, a special feeder with food was brought to the dog. An irritant (a light bulb, a whistle, a click, etc.) turned on, and the dog was given food. Over time, the dog developed a conditioned reflex, which consisted in the fact that a certain signal was perceived by her as a call for food. This was proved with the help of instruments, due to which the saliva was collected.
Academician Pavlov made a great contribution to the development of world science. His works are still appreciated and studied both in Russia and abroad.