- Robert E Clark: Veterans Affairs Medical Center, San Diego 92161, USA. reclark@ucsd.edu
This article presents a brief description of the scientific discovery of classical conditioning both in the United States and in Russia. The incorporation of classical conditioning as a scientific method in the United States is described. Particular attention is given to how and why the terminologies used to identify the components of classical conditioning were modified over the years. I then trace the curious evolution of the terminology associated with Pavlov's form of conditioning, from its introduction to the United States as "the Pawlow salivary reflex method" to its present appellation as classical conditioning. Finally I conclude by developing a theory as to when and why the term classical conditioning was adopted.