Little Albert Experiment (Watson and Rayner 1920)

Background

John B. Watson and his graduate student Rosalie Rayner conducted experiments on an almost one year old boy at John Hopkins university.

In preparation for the experiment, Albert was abruptly exposed to stimuli including a white rat, a Santa Claus mask, a rabbit and burning newspaper - none elicited any emotional response. He was also tested to see whether a fear response could be elicited through loud sounds - specifically made by a hammer hitting a suspended metal bar. The loud noise caused Albert to cry in fear

Aims

To assess whether a child can be conditioned to feel fear through the simultaneous visual presentation of a white rat and the loud noise of a hammer hitting a metal bar. If a fear response is successfully elicited, to determine whether this emotional response can be extended to similar stimuli.

Method Participants

Eleven-month old boy named Albert (not real name)

Method Materials

A white rat, a rabbit, a seal skin coat, a Santa Claus mask, a metal pole and a hammer

Method Design

IV: exposure to various stimuli and pairing of stimuli DV: the observed emotional and behavioural responses displayed by the child

Procedure