Classical conditioning according to Pavlov is a learning process that aims to produce certain behavioral patterns in response to stimulation. Suppose the conditioned reflex is not reinforced for some time. In that case, for example, if the conditioned stimulus is not accompanied by the unconditioned stimulus for a sufficiently long time, the conditioned reflex is extinct – the conditioned stimulus ceases to cause an unconditioned reaction.
Pavlov did not make any notable distinctions between conditional and unconditional reflexes, believing that the emerging new form of behavior (conditional reflex) is identical to the unconditioned one and can itself serve as the basis for the formation of higher-order conditional reflexes. He also saw no fundamental difference between human and animal physiology.
He believed that the laws established in animal experiments could be applied without additional modification to explain the formation of new modes of human behavior. Based on the above, Pavlov’s basic scheme of the conditioned reflex is S > R, where S is the stimulus and R is the reaction.
From this scheme, we can see that the primary way to control behavior is to control the presentation of stimuli, causing a specific response, the external environment, and control over it. By organizing the environment in a certain way and producing conditioned reflexes, we can form a particular behavior in humans.