Little Albert

• Who conducted the classic study on Little Albert?

  John B. Watson
• Watson's study aimed to prove that all human behavior is innate.

  False
• Watson's study aimed to demonstrate the scientific status of psychology
• What was Watson's primary belief about emotions in human beings?

  Emotions are learned responses
• Watson filmed his study to ensure it could be replicated.
• Watson's study illustrates the principles of the Learning Approach
• What method did Watson use to isolate extraneous variables in his study?

  Experimental method
• Classical conditioning was previously researched on animals before Watson's study on humans.
• What ethical issues were raised by Watson's study on Little Albert?

  Harm to human subjects
• Freud argued that phobias are disguised versions of something upsetting within a person's unconscious
• Watson believed that phobias originate in a person's environment rather than their unconscious mind.
• How did Watson believe a phobia could be extinguished?

  Classical conditioning
• Watson's scientific outlook emphasized studying behaviors that could be filmed and measured objectively
• Watson's ideas suggest that human behavior is influenced by a soul rather than learned responses.

  False
• What was the aim of Watson & Rayner's study?

  To condition a fear response
• Watson & Rayner's study aimed to find out if a fear response could be generalized to other animals and objects
• Match the experimental variables in Watson & Rayner's study with their descriptions:

  IV (1) ↔️ Before-conditioning compared to after-conditioning

  IV (2) ↔️ White rat compared to other stimuli

  DV ↔️ Number of fearful behaviors
• What type of experimental design did Watson & Rayner use?

  Repeated Measures design
• Albert B was chosen for the study because he was fearless and emotionally stable.
• At 9 months, Albert showed no fear response to the white rat, indicating it was a Neutral Stimulus
• What was the Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS) in Watson & Rayner's study?

  Loud noise
• Albert cried in response to the loud noise, which was the Unconditioned Response (UCR).
• After conditioning, the white rat became a Conditioned Stimulus
• What was Albert's Conditioned Response (CR) to the white rat?

  Crying
• Albert's fear response generalized to other white, furry objects.
• Watson & Rayner tested Albert's fear response in a lecture theatre
• How long did Watson & Rayner find Albert's fear response lasted?

  Over a month
• Watson & Rayner intended to remove the conditioned fear from Albert but his mother moved away.
• What conclusions did Watson & Rayner draw from their study?

  Fear responses can be conditioned
• Watson proposed that conditioned fear responses could last a lifetime
• Watson believed that many phobias are true conditioned emotional reactions.
• What was Baby Albert's real name according to Hall Beck?

  Douglas Meritte
• Douglas Meritte died at age 6 from water on the brain
• Beck identified Douglas Meritte with the help of his nephew, Gary Irons.
• What criticism did Digdon & Powell raise about Beck's research?

  Douglas Meritte was not Albert
• Digdon & Powell identified William Albert Barger as the true Baby Albert.
• What lifelong dislike did William Albert Barger have?

  Small dogs
• Watson was fired from his academic position due to an affair with Rosalie Rayner.
• What new job did Watson take after leaving psychology?

  Advertising
• Watson's life was ironically influenced by the uncontrollable emotion of love