BA: Strengths of Pavlov's research

• Reliable - Pavlov's study took place in a highly controlled lab environment, therefore it is standardised and can be repeated easily.

  High Internal Validity - Took place in a highly controlled environment, therefore extraneous variables are controlled, so we can trust only the independent variable is effecting the dependent variable are no other irrelevant variable.
• The study is scientific as the results are very objective, as Pavlov was studying biology, he kept the study free from bias and subjectivity as a result, the data is also observable as you can observe behavioural change.
• Generalisability - Little Albert (Watson & Rayner)

  While you have to be careful about generalising the behaviour of animals onto humans, the Little Albert study proved that you can generalise. Little Albert had developed a phobia of white fluffy objects and animals because he had been classically conditioned to associate white fluffy objects and animals with a loud, scary noise. Proving babies and dogs can be classically conditioned in a similar way.
• Application - Aversion Therapy uses classical conditioning to create a negative response to an undesirable stimulus. Alcoholics may be given an alcoholic drink containing a drug to cause vomiting hope they will associate the two stimuli together.
• Good explanation of phobias, because of negative experience with the phobic stimulus.
• Psychodynamic psychologists disagree with the behaviourist explanation of phobias. They suggest fear comes from unconscious conflict.