Meaning: used to describe a person's thoughtless reaction, such as preconceived ideas and resistance to logical speculation.

Pavlov, a famous psychologist, once did an experiment with dogs: before sending food to dogs, turn on the red light and ring the bell. After a while, as soon as the bell rings or the red light is on, the dog begins to secrete saliva.

Pavlov's experiment shows that in certain stimulus situations, if the consequences of an animal's reaction can meet its certain needs (get rewards or escape punishment), then the probability of its reaction will increase in the future.

In this reaction process, after many trial and error and accidental success, the connection between the scene and the reaction action is established, forming a conditioned reflex. In this reaction process, the behavior of the organism is used as a tool or means to get rewards (or escape punishment). Therefore, it is called instrumental conditioning, and it is also called operational conditioning.

Extended data

Ivan Pavlov's dog experiments can only make him a comparable figure to Dr. Kay Vosgian (known as the "death doctor" who helps the chronically ill and terminally ill to euthanize).

But in 1904, the Russian physiologist won the Nobel Prize for discovering the internal working mechanism of the digestive system. Until now, the internal working mechanism of digestive system has been a mystery to scientists. During the research, Pavlov will insert a tube into the dog's stomach to study the secretion of the stomach.

This discovery trip allowed Pavlov to reveal the basic principle of conditioned reflex, which is well known in physiology. In the most harmless example of conditioned reflex, it is not surprising that dogs who can enjoy food will drool after hearing the bell. The most terrible example, an innocent boy named "Little Albert", will have great fear of white fluffy things.

References:

Baidu Encyclopedia-Pavlov's Dog