Why did Pavlov use dogs?
Pavlov used dogs in research on behavior because he was actually a digestive physiologist. At that time, dogs were commonly used because of the similarity of the dog’s digestive system to the human digestive system. When he discovered the conditioned reflex, Pavlov was actually studying the relationship between salivary secretions and food consumption when he noticed that the dogs were salivating before they were given food. It looked like they were starting to salivate when the assistant started the experiment. Pavlov was an extremely careful experimenter, so he replaced the assistant with a bell. He repeatedly rang the bell then delivered the food. Before long the dog would salivate when it heard the bell. He recognized the importance of this discovery, and began to study the conditioned reflex in earnest. Because all of his equipment and laboratory were set up for dogs, he continued to use them in his behavioral research.
