Little Albert (Watson & Rayner)

• The Little Albert experiment was conducted at John Hopkins University
• Researchers gained permission from Albert's mother to test classical conditioning on him
• Baseline session


  Test reactions to neutral stimuli
• Albert was reportedly unafraid of any of the stimuli he was shown
• Stimuli shown to Albert

  • A white rat
  • A rabbit
  • A dog
  • A monkey
  • Masks with and without hair
  • Cotton wool
  • Burning newspapers
• Conditioning sessions


  1. Two sessions spaced one week apart

  2. Seven pairings of a white rat followed by a loud noise
• When Albert was 11 months old, the white rat was presented, and seconds later, the hammer was struck against the steel bar
• After 7 pairings of the rat and noise, Albert reacted with crying and avoidance when the rat was presented without the loud noise
• By the end of the second conditioning session, Albert cried and began to crawl away when shown the rat
• Little Albert only had to see the rat to show signs of fear
• The second transfer session included 2 additional conditioning trials with the rat
• Fear began to fade over time, but could be renewed by repeating the original procedure
• The final transfer session occurred after a month to test maintained fear
• Albert and his mother left the hospital immediately after the final session
• Neutral Stimulus (NS)


  A stimulus that does not naturally bring about the response of interest (the white laboratory rat)
• Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS)


  A stimulus that naturally triggers a response without any learning (the loud, frightening noise)
• Unconditioned Response (UCR)


  The natural response to the unconditioned stimulus (Albert's fear response to the loud noise)
• Conditioning process


  1. Present rat (NS)

  2. Make loud noise (UCS)

  3. Repeat pairing
• Conditioned Stimulus (CS)


  The previously neutral stimulus that now elicits a fear response (the rat)
• Conditioned Response (CR)


  The learned response to the conditioned stimulus (Albert's fear of the rat)
• Albert's fear generalised to other stimuli similar to the rat
• Stimuli to which Albert's fear generalised


  • A fur coat
  • Some cotton wool
  • A Santa mask
• Albert had been reared in a hospital environment from birth
• This study is often cited as evidence that phobias can develop through classical conditioning
• Critics have questioned whether conditioning actually occurred due to methodological flaws
• The study didn’t control for pseudoconditioning
• The study didn’t control for maturation
• Albert's reactions were inconsistent and the conditioned fear was weak
• The Little Albert Experiment was conducted in 1920 before ethical guidelines were established for human experiments in psychology
• Albert was left in a state of fear, which could have long-lasting developmental effects
• Watson published no follow-up data on Albert's later emotional development
• No informed consent was obtained from Albert’s parents
• Parents were misled about the true aims of the research
• Intentionally inducing a fear response in an infant is concerning from a nonmaleficence perspective
• Watson and Rayner did not attempt to decondition or desensitise Albert before the study ended abruptly
• Classical conditioning plays a central role in the development of fears and associations
• Some phobias may be due at least in part to classical conditioning