Pavlov never trained dogs to salivate to the sound of a bell

[Larry1]

Many of you have likely heard the story that Russian scientist Ivan Pavlov caused dogs to associate the ringing of a bell with being fed, so that they began to salivate when they heard the sound of the bell. Well, according to a new book that is not quite correct. Pavlov didn't use a bell after all.

That is from a new book about Pavlov and Russia: "Ivan Pavlov: a Russian Life in Science".

That is the new book by Daniel P. Todes, the first sentence is:

Contrary to legend, Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936) never trained a dog to salivate to the sound of a bell.  In over three decades of research and tens of thousands of experimental trials, he and his coworkers used a bell only in rare, unimportant circumstances.  Indeed, the iconic bell would have proven totally useless to his real goal, which required precise control over the quality and duration of stimuli (he most frequently employed a metronome, a harmonium, a buzzer, and electrical shock).

Nor was Pavlov a behaviorist, to address another common misconception.

This superb book — one of the year’s best — is 731 pages of original material on Russia, Russian communism, Russian science, and of course the life of Pavlov. 

http://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2015/11/ivan-pavlov-a-russian-life-in-science.html

[mendeleyev]

Interesting.

Our little dog comes running at any noise--from a door opening, to a whistle, to the phone ringing. Perhaps I should publish those results and become famous!