Classic research

• What is the classic research of the behaviourist approach?

  Watson & Rayner.

  Conditioned emotional reactions.

  Little Albert.
• 11 months 3 days

  Establishing conditioned response.

  White rat presented to Albert.

  Bar struck when he touched the animal.

  Albert jumped violently, fell forward and buried his face in the mattress.

  Join stimulation again. Albert whimpered.
• 11 months 10 days 


  Rat presented without sound.

  When rat touched infant hand was immediately withdrawn.

  Rat & sound x5 -> Crying.
• 11 months 15 days

  Blocks

  Rat alone -> crawled away

  Rabbit, dog, fur coat, cotton wool -> negative responses
• 11 months 20 days


  Rat alone -> withdrawal

  Rabbit alone -> leaned away

  Rabbit & bar

  Dog & bar
• 11 months 21 days 


  Santa mask -> withdrawal, cried when forced to touch it.

  Fur coat -> withdrawal

  Rat & rabbit & dog -> fear
• Baseline emotions tests

  Approx 9 months

  White rabbit

  Dog

  Monkey

  Mask

  Cotton wool

  Burning newspaper

  No fear response
• Aims of W&R research

  Answer the questions:

  Can a fear of a previously neutral stimulus be conditioned by presenting it with an established negative stimulus?

  Could the conditioned response be transferred to other animals or objects?

  Does this conditioned response change over time?

  How might these emotional responses be removed if they do not die out?
• Methodological strengths of W&R research

  Standardised procedure

  Controlled environment

  Controlled stimulus (blocks)
• Methodological weaknesses of W&R research

  External population validity - only one participant -> not generalisable

  Ecological validity -> not introduced to stimuli naturally
• Ethical strengths of Watson & Rayner

  Mother withdrew him
• Ethical weaknesses of W&R research

  Informed consent - parents not informed on procedures and aims.

  Protection from harm - psychological stress, phobia not unconditioned.

  Confidentiality - name used.

  Right to withdraw - Albert wanted to withdraw? (Crawling away).
• Social implications of W&R research

  Advertising - eg music people associate with products

  SD (counterconditioning)

  Education - Le Francois (2000) suggested maximising pleasant stimuli in the classroom will lead to students feeling more positively about education.