classical conditioning
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Classical conditioning is a basic form of learning where a neutral stimulus (like a bell) is repeatedly paired with something biologically important (like food), until the neutral stimulus alone triggers the same response as the original stimulus. It matters because it explains how we develop many of our automatic reactions and behaviors, from fear responses to cravings, and has been foundational to psychology's understanding of how learning works.
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Classical conditioning (also respondent conditioning and Pavlovian conditioning) is a behavioral procedure in which a biologically potent stimulus (e.g. food, a puff of air on the eye) is paired with a neutral stimulus (e.g. the sound of a musical triangle). The term classical conditioning refers to the process of an automatic, conditioned response that is paired with a specific stimulus. It is essentially equivalent to a signal.
Ivan Pavlov, the Russian physiologist, studied classical conditioning with detailed experiments with dogs, and published the experimental results in 1897. In the study of digestion, Pavlov observed that the experimental dogs salivated when fed red meat. Pavlovian conditioning is distinct from operant conditioning (instrumental conditioning), through which the strength of a voluntary behavior is modified, either by reinforcement or by punishment. However, classical conditioning can affect operant conditioning; classically conditioned stimuli can reinforce operant responses.