Sydney Smith 
Denysha Taylor 
Ivan Petrovich Pavlov is well known for his research on animal digestion and responses. His likely most famous work included the discovery of the conditioned reflex, or the “Pavlov’s dog” experiment. The way he performed the experiment was to measure amounts of gastric juices excreted by a dog, paired with the stimuli associated with food powder. This experiment in animal instincts is easily paralleled to explain human behavior studies.
I would classify Ivan Pavlov in the Fall category. He has attempted to explain “quirks” of animal behavior, and what temptations we might give in to. By understanding simple reflexes or responses that can be induced within us, we can then begin to interpret how we respond. This is pertinent to the Fall because these principles are currently used in many forms of advertising research today in order to tempt people effectively. The Fall deals with innate human instincts that we have trouble controlling, I think Pavlov does a good job of delving into this. Conditioned reflexes even today are considered a cornerstone in the field of psychology.
Arguably, Creationism could embody Pavlov as well. I could see how someone might think that he is grasping how we were created and attempting to learn about humanity from the perspective of what makes us tick, rather than what breaks us.
Nicole Nelson
1:40 pm, 11.17.13
Lindsay,
I really like how you related Pavlov’s ideas to the trickery of modern day advertising. It was a very interesting idea that I would not have thought of. But I completely agree! I like how you talk about the Fall having to do with “innate human instincts that we have trouble controlling.” I agree to a point. Yes, we are naturally born into sin, we are sinful creatures. But at the same time, Eve chose to eat the fruit. Yes, she had the internal sinful desire to eat the fruit, and she had trouble suppressing these “bad” thoughts. But at the same time, I think that sin, and thus the Fall do involve conscious control of sinful behaviors. I know personally, there are many times when I am completely aware of the sin in my life. But as you postulate, there are also times when it is innate and I am barely aware of it. Sin is such an interesting concept in relation to the Fall and psychology in general. Great post!