*Little Albert Study Summary

Little Albert Study: Watson & Raynor (1920)

• Goal: To demonstrate that emotional reactions, specifically fear, could be classically conditioned in humans.

• Method:

  • An 11-month-old infant, Little Albert, was shown a white rat.

  • Every time he reached for the rat, a loud noise (unconditioned stimulus) was made behind his head, eliciting fear.

  • After repeated pairings, Albert developed a conditioned fear response to the rat alone.

• Findings:

  • Albert's fear generalized to other white, furry objects (e.g., rabbit, fur coat, Santa mask).

  • Demonstrated that phobias could be acquired through classical conditioning.

• Ethical Issues:

  • Lack of informed consent.

  • Caused lasting distress to the infant.

  • Raised significant concerns about using infants in experiments.

• Significance:

  • Provided early evidence that emotions are learned through environmental experiences, rather than being purely instinctive.