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

巴甫洛夫理论并非只针对狗--本杰明·维茨

Transcriber: Andrea McDonough Reviewer: Bedirhan Cinar

翻译人员: Marie Wang 校对人员: Dong Mao

You've probably heard of Pavlov's dogs,

你可能有听说过“巴甫洛夫的狗”

the phrase that often summarizes

它通常指的是

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

伊凡.巴甫洛夫博士二十世纪初期的一项研究

in which he demonstrated that we can alter

这项研究论证了我们可以

what stimuli elicit a reflective response in canines.

通过改变刺激因素使狗产生反射性反应

He showed this by sounding a bell

巴甫洛夫博士在

just before he presented

摇铃后马上

his group of dogs with meat powder.

在一群狗面前放肉松

After many presentations of the bell,

如此重复摇铃

followed by tasty meat powder,

然后放肉松这个过程

the dogs eventually began to salivate

狗群最终开始

at just the sound of the bell.

仅听到铃声就流口水了

They salivated even when

即使铃响后没有肉松

there was no meat powder present.

狗群也会流口水

This phenomenon isn't limited to dogs.

这个现象并不局限于狗

Consider the placebo effect,

想想“安慰剂效应” --

in which a pill with no active substances

就是服用无效用的药

brings about a response

也会使人产生像

similar to a pill with a substance present.

服用了有效用的药才会产生的反应

What changes here is our reaction to our ailment,

其实我们改变的只是我们对疾病的反应

such as perceiving less pain

比如感觉没（吃药前）那么疼了

and not the ailment itself.

而疾病本身并没有改变

Or, consider the love humans have for a parent.

再比如，我们对父母亲的爱

Some would argue that this love is instinctual,

有些人会觉得这种爱是本能的

and they may be partially right.

这可能也对

But, the argument fails to account

但是这个论证却没有概括

for the equal amount of love

那些后期被领养的孩子们

that children adopted later in life

在他们的人生中

hold for their adoptive parents.

对养父母同样多的爱

But the behaviorist argument can account

而行为学主义者的观点可以

for both accounts of love.

把这两种爱都概括进去

A parent, biological or not,

父母，不管有没有血缘关系

is constantly paired with things like

都非常经常地与下面这些词配对在一起

food,

smiles,

比如食物

欢笑

toys,

玩具

affection,

games,

情感

游戏

protection,

保护

and entertainment.

还有娱乐

And a parent's constant association

父母与孩子童年的

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

这些美妙而重要的方面之间的紧密联系

has a similar, albeit more complicated,

会让孩子产生类似于巴甫洛夫的狗的反应

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

类似但是更复杂

In other words, if one's parent is predictive

换句话说，如果认为父母预示了

of really good or really important things,

非常好或非常重要的事情的话

then one's parent becomes

那么父母也就会成为

a really good and important thing, too.

非常好而重要的事情

And there is also romantic advice to be gained

在巴甫洛夫的观察中还能得到

from Pavlov's observations.

一个关于恋爱的建议——

We all need food to survive, right?

我们都需要食物来生存，对吧？

And someone who can provide such things

而给我们提供这些

in a delicious, saliva-producing manner

美味地让人流口水的食物的人

stands to become our human equivalent of a ringing bell.

就成为了起像铃铛一样作用的人

In other words,

也就是说

if you can cook one or more scrumptious meals

要是能根据你潜在爱人的口味

for a potential love interest,

做出几道绝妙的菜肴，

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

将来就很有可能

more favorably in the future,

更被喜爱

even if you didn't prepare the delicious food.

就算将来那时候你并没有准备美味佳肴

And who wouldn't want the love of their life

谁不想自己的挚爱

drooling over them?

对自己流口水呢

But life is not just bell rings and salivation.

但是生活并不只有“铃铛”和“口水”

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

这类研究也有黑暗面

called "taste aversion".

叫“味觉厌恶”

Taste aversion occurs when we ingest some food

当我们吃了后来会导致我们恶心的食物时

that eventually makes us sick,

就会产生味觉厌恶

and, as a result, we avoid that food,

结果我们就会抵制这种食物

sometimes for the rest of our lives.

有时会抵制一辈子

Taste aversion is so powerful

味觉厌恶非常厉害

that the effect can be seen

就算其实过几个小时后才会觉得恶心

even if the illness is experienced hours later

就算事物本身并不会真的让人恶心

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

味觉厌恶仍然效果显著

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

举个例子，比如当我们感冒时，会不小心

we ingest some food moments prior to vomiting.

在呕吐前吃了某种食物

In this case, we know that the food

这种情况下就算我们知道

did not cause the vomiting,

不是这种食物引起的呕吐

but our bodies don't know that.

可我们的身体并不知道

And the next time we encounter that food,

下次我们碰到这种食物

we are likely to refuse eating it.

就会拒绝吃它

Now, imagine the potential consequences

现在，想象一下在第一次约会中

of undercooking a meal on a first date.

饭菜没做好会产生的后果

If the food makes your date sick,

如果你的约会对象吃恶心了

it is possible for them

他们很有可能

to associate that bad feeling with not just the food,

不会把这种不好的感觉仅仅联系到食物上

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

而是“你”做的食物

If the episode was traumatizing enough,

要是这段小插曲让人足够受创

or if it also happens on a subsequent date,

或者以后的约会再次发生这种事

they may come to relate you with the consequences,

他们可能会把你和这类情况联系在一起

just like Pavlov's dogs

就像巴甫洛夫的狗

related the bell with the meat powder.

把铃声和肉松联系在一起一样

In other words,

换句话说

the sight of you showing up at the next dinner date

下次约会吃饭一看到你

might actually make your date nauseous!

你的约会对象很可能会真的觉得恶心了

As the old saying goes,

就像老话说的

the fastest way to someone's heart

要想抓住一个人的心

is through their stomach,

先要抓住他的胃

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

要是你没先把他弄恶心的话