Principles of Pavlovian conditioning: Description, content, function

Pavlov's systematic investigation of Pavlovian conditioning uncovered most of the primary phenomena, and his sharp and nuanced discussions are still relevant today. The most well-known form involves pairing a neutral conditioned stimulus (CS) with a biologically relevant unconditioned stimulus (US) that automatically elicits an unconditioned response (UR), leading the CS to elicit a conditioned response (CR) qualitatively similar to the UR. Predictive value, once established, is sensitive to changes in contingency. Pavlovian processes are most strongly linked to predicting the likelihood that an important event will or will not occur at a certain time, allowing organisms to engage in complicated sequences of preparatory behavior that culminate in appropriately timed conditioned responding. Independent of this, Pavlovian processes may serve a role analogous to the hypothesis generating roles of theories in scientific research: to focus the search for additional control of the environment.