(11) Unit 1 - Classic Research: Watson, J.B and Rayner, R (1920) 'Conditioned Emotional Reactions' (evaluation of ethical issues and social implications)

Why does Albert being at risk of psychological harm, anxiety and stress make this research unethical?

He could not communicate due to his age and could not withdraw or ask to stop as a result.

How may Albert have experienced these feelings of anxiety and stress during the experiment?

Throughout the study, Albert displayed numerous signs of distress and upset when presented with the rat, or similar stimuli such as a rabbit or cotton wool. These reactions included startling, whimpering, withdrawal, crying and attempting to crawl away or hide from the stimuli.

Why is it viewed as unethical that the researchers did not stop immediately as he appeared to show signs of distress?

Although these responses could have been associated with conditioned fear of the rat, it causes ethical issues to arise as Albert was not able to verbalise his emotions and could have been crying in the hopes that Watson and Rayner would remove the stimuli from his sight due to his fear being more extreme than they thought, despite them saying “we felt we could do him relatively little harm” prior to research taking place.

Therefore, was is the risk of psychological harm an ethical issue?

Due to the amount of psychological harm Albert was subjected to.

Why is the possibility of uninformed consent an ethical issue?

Consent must be fully informed, meaning that the participant knows and understands what the research will entail and how they will be made to feel throughout. They must also be given warnings about what risks they may face in the long term.

How was the consent uninformed?

As Albert was only 11 months old when research began, he was too young to consent by himself so his mother gave ‘consent-by-proxy’, but there are questions regarding whether valid consent was obtained as consent is only valid when an individual fully understands what will happen and would could happen within a study, but it is unclear whether Albert’s mother gave valid consent due to her and Albert’s sudden move from the hospital before Watson and Rayner could remove his conditioned emotional response.

What may have been different if this consent was fully informed?

It is thought that if Albert’s mother had known and understood the long term effects of the study on Albert she may not have left with him in such a hurry without allowing the pair to remove Albert’s conditioned response, or she may not have consented in the first place knowing the effect it could have on her son.

Therefore, why is valid informed consent essential?

As participants must understand the lasting effects of research, and it is apparent that the effects it had on Albert may not have been communicated, leading to uninformed consent.

Why is the use of conditioning techniques to help people a strength of the social implications of Watson and Rayner’s research?

The conditioning techniques demonstrated within Watson and Rayner’s research have been utilised in education to positively shape young people’s behaviour and has been used in developing therapies.

What study shows that conditioning techniques have been beneficial within the education sector?

McAllister et al (1969) found that increased use of ‘teacher praise’ and ‘teacher disapproval’ led to a decrease in the incidence of ‘inappropriate talking’ in class compared to a control condition where there was no decrease.

Why is the use of teacher praise and teacher disapproval to condition children a strong social implication?

This suggests that if used correctly, conditioning can have many positive implications in society, particularly in the promotion of conformity. Like Albert with the rat, teacher disapproval provokes a fear response meaning children will withdraw from speaking whilst the teacher is to prevent confrontation with the feared stimuli.

Therefore, why is the use of conditioning in the education setting a benefit?

It can maximise success and teach children the skills required to succeed in society and ensure generations of children are prepared for the workforce.

Why make some say that using conditioning techniques in education is a negative social implication?

It does not always yield positive implications for society.

What evidence suggests that conditioning techniques can sometimes have a negative effect on children?

Lepper et al (1973) supports the criticism that the notion of rewards and punishments is harmful to a child’s internal motivation to learn; nursery children who were asked to draw a nice picture in turn for a reward dedicated half the time to their drawing than children who had not been promised a reward.

Why is the promise of rewards and punishments negative for society?

We would be at risk of creating generations with no intrinsic motivation who are reliant on rewards in order to complete a task.

Therefore, why is the use of conditioning techniques in schools a negative social implication?

Society requires individuals who are self-motivated, as beyond childhood, rewards are not as readily available and as such, conditioning in this way has long term effects.