Classical conditioning in a cognitive era

Classical conditioning as a body of laboratory techniques and the phenomena which they have generated has a long history in behavioural science. Today, the emphasis on cognitive processes which has overtaken behavioural science threatens to displace the older technology. This paper examines those aspects of classical conditioning which might be expected to contribute a useful supplement to the cognitive description of human functioning. It is suggested that the emphasis on individual differences and on the modulation of affect and preference constitutes the core of this contribution.