Watson & Rayner (Little Albert)

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Last updated 10:03 AM on 4/18/26
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8 Terms

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AO1 – Sample

  • The study used one participant, Little Albert, a 9-month-old infant raised in a hospital environment.

  • He was selected because he was described as calm and emotionally stable.

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AO3 – Generalisability

  • Using a single infant means findings lack generalisability to the wider population.

  • Albert may not represent all children, especially as his background (hospital upbringing) may have influenced his behaviour.

  • There is also debate about his identity, which further reduces population validity.

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AO1 – Methodology

  • The study was a controlled lab experiment.

  • Watson and Rayner manipulated the IV (pairing the white rat with a loud noise) and measured the DV (Albert’s fear responses).

  • Baseline testing was conducted to ensure Albert had no prior fear.

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AO3 – Validity

  • High control increases internal validity, as extraneous variables were minimised (e.g. noise made out of sight).

  • However, the artificial setting reduces ecological validity, as the situation is not reflective of real-life learning environments.

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AO1 – Procedure

  • Albert was first exposed to a white rat (NS) with no fear response.

  • The rat was then paired with a loud noise (UCS) which caused distress (UCR).

  • This pairing was repeated several times until conditioning occurred.

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AO3 – Reliability

  • The procedure was highly standardised and carefully documented (including filming).

  • This means the study is replicable, increasing reliability.

  • However, due to ethical issues, it cannot be replicated today, limiting reliability in practice.

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AO1 – Results

  • Albert developed a fear of the white rat (CS → CR: crying).

  • The fear response generalised to similar stimuli (rabbit, Santa mask).

  • The response also transferred to different settings, showing conditioning had occurred.

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AO3 – Application

  • The study provides insight into how phobias may develop through classical conditioning.

  • It has led to therapies such as systematic desensitisation to treat phobias.

  • However, it may not explain all phobias, as some involve cognitive factors.