Pavlovian

[pav-loh-vee-uh n, -law-, -lov-ee-]

adjective

of, relating to, or characteristic of Pavlov or his work, especially of experiments in which he elicited predictable responses from laboratory animals.

Origin of Pavlovian

First recorded in 1925–30; Pavlov + -ian

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for pavlovian

Contemporary Examples of pavlovian

But this Pavlovian trigger cannot be effective indefinitely.
The Nuclear Deal That Iran’s Regime Fears Most
Djavad Khadem
November 22, 2014
Could it just be that prison itself conditions a sort of pavlovian reaction to carve chess pieces?
Reading Prison Novels In Prison
Daniel Genis
May 24, 2014
Contrary to the Pavlovian GOP notion of Clinton, she is generally centrist in her views and approach.
Why Hillary vs. Jeb Would Be Great for America
Mark McKinnon
April 13, 2014
Receiving a coffee-related gift triggers a Pavlovian response – elation, anticipation, a faux caffeine rush.
Buying a Gift Card Is Really Making a Free Loan to Big Business
Daniel Gross
December 11, 2013
I can assure you that already in the Pavlovian swamps of the nutso right, the glands are swelling.
The Coming Attempt to Impeach Obama
Michael Tomasky
May 12, 2013

British Dictionary definitions for pavlovian

Pavlovian

adjective

of or relating to the work of Ivan Pavlov
(of a reaction or response) automatic; involuntary

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for pavlovian

Pavlovian

adj.

1931, from the theories, experiments, and methods of Russian physiologist Ivan Petrovich Pavlov (1849-1936), especially in connection with the salivary reflexes of dogs in response to mental stimulus of the sound of a bell (attested from 1911, in Pavloff [sic] method).