Ivan Petrovich Pavlov
Ivan Petrovich Pavlov, (1849-1936). Russian physiologist, best known for his work on conditioned reflexes in dogs. Originally intended for the priesthood, Pavlov became interested in natural history and studied physiology at St Petersburg University. Here he did valuable work on the mechanism of digestion, for which he received a Nobel Prize in 1904 After this he began his famous experiments with dogs. A hungry dog will salivate at the sight of food. Pavlov rang a bell every time food was presented and found that eventually the dog salivated whenever the bell was rung, even in the absence of food. This is a conditioned reflex. His work led Pavlov to believe that all human mental activity was the result of conditioned reflexes. Though an out-spoken anti-communist, Pavlov remained in the Soviet Union after the Russian Revolution and was given facilities to continue his researches.
