Pavlovian reactions aren't just for dogs - Benjamin N. Witts

Erreakzio Pavloviarrak ez dira txakurrentzat bakarrik - Benjamin N. Witts

Transcriber: Andrea McDonough Reviewer: Bedirhan Cinar

Translator: Jone Aliri Lazcano Reviewer: Begoña Laka

You've probably heard of Pavlov's dogs,

Ziurrenik Pavloven txakurrak ezagutuko dituzue,

the phrase that often summarizes

askotan Iván Pavlov doktorearen XX. mende hasierako

Dr. Ivan Pavlov's early 20th century research,

ikerketa laburtzen duen esaldi hori,

in which he demonstrated that we can alter

ikerketa horretan txakurretan erreflexuzko ekintza bat

what stimuli elicit a reflective response in canines.

eragiten duten estimuluak alda ditzakegula frogatu zuen.

He showed this by sounding a bell

Hau bere txakurrei jana eman aurreko unean

just before he presented

his group of dogs with meat powder.

kanpai bat jotzen egin zuen.

After many presentations of the bell,

Behin eta berriz, jan aurretik

followed by tasty meat powder,

kanpaia jo ostean,

the dogs eventually began to salivate

kanpaiaren soinua entzutearekin

at just the sound of the bell.

txakurrei listua zerien.

They salivated even when

Janik ez zegoenean ere listua zerien.

there was no meat powder present.

This phenomenon isn't limited to dogs.

Gertakari hau ez da txakurretan soilik ematen.

Consider the placebo effect,

Plazebo efektuan pentsa dezagun,

in which a pill with no active substances

bertan sustantzia aktiborik gabeko pilulak erantzun bat sortzen du,

brings about a response

similar to a pill with a substance present.

sustantzia duen pilula batek sortzen duenaren antzekoa.

What changes here is our reaction to our ailment,

Kasu honetan aldatzen dena minarenganako erantzuna da,

such as perceiving less pain

agian min gutxiago sumatzen dugu, mina aldatzen ez den arren.

and not the ailment itself.

Or, consider the love humans have for a parent.

Edo pentsatu geure gurasoekiko sentitzen dugun maitasunean.

Some would argue that this love is instinctual,

Maitasun hori instintuaren ondorio dela esan daiteke

and they may be partially right.

eta hein batean egia izan daiteke.

But, the argument fails to account

Baina horrek ez du azaltzen

for the equal amount of love

berandu adoptatuak diren haurrek

that children adopted later in life

maitasun bera sentitzea euren adopziozko gurasoekiko.

hold for their adoptive parents.

But the behaviorist argument can account

Hala ere, konduktisten argudioak azaldu ditzake

for both accounts of love.

maitasun adierazpen biak.

A parent, biological or not,

Aita edo ama bat, biologikoa izan ala ez,

is constantly paired with things like

etengabe horrelako gauzekin erlazionatzen da:

food,

smiles,

janaria, irribarreak, jostailuak,

toys,

affection,

games,

afektua, jolasak, babesa eta entretenimendua.

protection,

and entertainment.

And a parent's constant association

Eta gurasoak beti haurtzaroko gauza eder

with these wonderful or crucial aspects of a child's life

edo erabakigarri horiekin lotzeak

has a similar, albeit more complicated,

Pavloven txakurretan janariak duen efektua baino

effect that meat powder had on Pavlov's salivating dogs.

konplexuagoa den, baina funtsean antzekoa den efektua du.

In other words, if one's parent is predictive

Beste hitz batzuekin esanda, geure gurasoek

of really good or really important things,

gauza oso onak edo oso garrantzitsuak bermatzen badituzte,

then one's parent becomes

guretzat oso on eta garrantzitsu bilakatzen dira.

a really good and important thing, too.

And there is also romantic advice to be gained

Pavloven behaketetatik gauza erromantikoak

from Pavlov's observations.

ere ikasi ditzakegu.

We all need food to survive, right?

Guztiok behar dugu janaria bizirauteko, ezta?

And someone who can provide such things

Ahoa listuz betetzen diguten janariak

in a delicious, saliva-producing manner

eman diezazkigun pertsona

stands to become our human equivalent of a ringing bell.

kanpaiaren giza baliokidea bihur daiteke.

In other words,

Hau da,

if you can cook one or more scrumptious meals

janari zoragarriak presta baditzakezu

for a potential love interest,

maite dezakezun norbaitentzako,

there's a good chance that you'll be viewed

aukera asko daude etorkizunean modu positiboago batean ikusia izateko,

more favorably in the future,

even if you didn't prepare the delicious food.

janari zoragarria prestatu ez arren.

And who wouldn't want the love of their life

Nork ez du nahi bere bizitzako amodioa horrekin listua dariola egotea?

drooling over them?

But life is not just bell rings and salivation.

Baina bizitza ez da listu-jario eta kanpai hotsa soilik.

There's also a dark side to this type of learning,

Ikaskuntza mota honetan gauza ilunak ere badaude,

called "taste aversion".

esaterako "zaporeari higuina".

Taste aversion occurs when we ingest some food

Zaporeari higuina denborarekin gaixotu egiten gaituzten jakiak jatean ematen da,

that eventually makes us sick,

and, as a result, we avoid that food,

eta ondorioz, janari hauek ekiditen ditugu,

sometimes for the rest of our lives.

batzuetan bizi osoan zehar.

Taste aversion is so powerful

Hain da indartsua zaporearen higuina

that the effect can be seen

bere efektua ikus daitekeela gaixotasuna beranduago agertu arren

even if the illness is experienced hours later

and even if the food itself did not actually make us sick.

baita jakiak gaixotu ez bagaitu ere.

Such is the case when we have the flu, and, by accident,

Adibidez, gripea izan eta ustekabean

we ingest some food moments prior to vomiting.

botaka egin aurretik jakiak hartzen baditugu.

In this case, we know that the food

Kasu horretan, badakigu ez dela janaria izan

did not cause the vomiting,

botaka eginarazi diguna, baina gorputzak ez daki.

but our bodies don't know that.

And the next time we encounter that food,

Jaki hori jaten dugun hurrengo aldian,

we are likely to refuse eating it.

posible da jan nahi ez izatea.

Now, imagine the potential consequences

Imajina itzazue ze ondorio ekar litzakeen

of undercooking a meal on a first date.

lehen hitzordu batean egoste falta batek.

If the food makes your date sick,

Janariak zure laguna gaixotuz gero,

it is possible for them

posible da honek sentimendu ezatsegina janariarekin bakarrik ez lotzea,

to associate that bad feeling with not just the food,

but with <i>your</i> food in particular.

baizik eta "zure janariarekin" lotzea.

If the episode was traumatizing enough,

Gertakaria nahiko traumatikoa bada,

or if it also happens on a subsequent date,

edo hurrengo hitzorduan ere gertatzen bada,

they may come to relate you with the consequences,

bikotegaiak ondorioekin lotu zaitzake,

just like Pavlov's dogs

Pavloven txakurrek kanpaia

related the bell with the meat powder.

janariarekin erlazionatzen zuten bezalaxe.

In other words,

Hau da, zure hurrengo hitzordura joatean

the sight of you showing up at the next dinner date

might actually make your date nauseous!

goragalea eragin dezakezu!

As the old saying goes,

Esaera zaharrak dio bihotzera heltzeko bide azkarrena

the fastest way to someone's heart

is through their stomach,

estomagotik dela,

assuming you don't make them sick in the process.

prozesuan intoxikaziorik ez dagoela suposatuz.