Little Albert (1920) (classical evidence)

Little Albert (1920) (classical evidence)

Little Albert (1920) Experimental Summary

• The Little Albert experiment was an iconic study conducted by behaviourists John B. Watson and Rosalie Rayner.
• The subject was a nine-month-old boy named ‘Albert B’, also referred to as Little Albert.
• The experiment utilised the principles of Classical Conditioning to attempt to induce a phobia in an infant.

Methodology Employed in Little Albert Experiment

• At the start of the experiment, Little Albert showed no fear to a number of objects including a white rat.
• Watson and Rayner then paired the presentation of the white rat (the neutral stimulus) with a loud, clanging sound (the unconditioned stimulus) that naturally scared Albert.
• This pairing was repeated several times to create an association for Little Albert between the two stimuli.

Observations from the Little Albert Experiment

• Following these pairings, Little Albert began to cry and show signs of fear (the conditioned response) whenever he was presented with the white rat (which had become a conditioned stimulus) even without the loud sound.
• Importantly, this fear also generalised to other white, fluffy objects such as a white rabbit or a white fur coat.

Implications of the Little Albert Experiment

• The experiment provided empirical evidence supporting the concept of Classical Conditioning.
• It indicated that emotional responses, such as fear, could indeed be conditioned.
• The experiment also highlighted how learned fears may generalise to similar stimuli.

Criticisms of the Little Albert Experiment

• Ethical concerns: The distress caused to Little Albert in creating this fear has raised significant ethical questions.
• Unreplicable results: Further replication attempts have met with mixed results, making the findings somewhat controversial.
• The study may have also lacked internal validity, as it’s unclear if Albert’s reaction was due to the loud noise or seeing the rat.