What is a primary focus of Pavlov's classical conditioning research?

Pavlov's classical conditioning research primarily centered on the response to a specific stimulus, demonstrating how certain reflexive behaviors could be conditioned through repeated associations. In his well-known experiments with dogs, Pavlov observed that when a neutral stimulus, such as a bell, was consistently paired with the presentation of food (an unconditioned stimulus that naturally elicited salivation), the dogs eventually began to salivate in response to the bell alone. This indicated that learning occurred not through direct rewards or social interactions, but rather through the association of stimuli. The focus on how a specific stimulus can evoke a conditioned response is foundational in understanding the mechanisms of learning in behavioral psychology.