Ivan Pavlov

Psychology Russian 1849 – 1936 368 quotes

Discovered classical conditioning

Most quoted

"Thanks to our recent works, the physiology of the brain has been advanced to a new stage, and the study of the highest part of the nervous system, which is of such colossal importance to man, has been placed on a solid foundation of exact knowledge."

— from Nobel Lecture, 1904

"One can truly say that the irresistible progress of natural science since the time of Galileo has made its first halt before the study of the higher parts of the brain, the organ of the most complicated relations of the animal to the external world."

— from Scientific Study of the So-Called Psychical Processes in the Higher Animals, 1909

"The physiologist who succeeds in penetrating deeper and deeper into the digestive canal becomes convinced that it consists of a number of chemical laboratories equipped with various mechanical devices."

— from Nobel Lecture, 1904

All quotes by Ivan Pavlov (368)

The study of the conditioned reflex has opened up new avenues for understanding behavior.

Personal notes

I believe in the power of reason and logic to solve problems.

Letter to a friend

The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance, but the illusion of knowledge.

Letter to a student

Never think that you already know everything. However highly you are appraised, always have the courage to say to yourself—I am ignorant.

Unknown

Observation and observation alone is the basis of all science. Facts, if you like, are the air of science. Without facts, you can never fly.

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The dog must have a master, and the master must have a dog.

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Conditioned reflexes are the basis of all learning, from the simplest to the most complex.

Lectures on Conditioned Reflexes

The nervous system is the supreme ruler of the organism.

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It is not the quantity of knowledge but the quality of knowledge that determines the value of a scientist.

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The more perfect the organism, the more perfect its adaptation to the environment.

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Experiment is the only way to ascertain the truth.

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We are all conditioned by our experiences.

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The brain is the most complex and wonderful organ in the human body.

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The conditioned reflex is a temporary nervous connection.

Lectures on Conditioned Reflexes

The unconditioned reflex is an innate, inherited reaction.

Lectures on Conditioned Reflexes

The study of the higher nervous activity is the most important task of physiology.

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The dog is a good model for studying the human brain.

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The nervous system is a system of connections.

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The organism is a self-regulating system.

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The external environment plays a crucial role in shaping behavior.

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