Watson & Rayner - Conditioning a Phobia

Background: John B. Watson was a behaviorist who believed that emotions and behaviors could be conditioned through experience. At the time, classical conditioning had been demonstrated in animals (e.g., Pavlov’s dogs), but Watson wanted to show that human emotions, specifically fear, could also be learned.

Aim: The study aimed to investigate whether fear could be conditioned in a human infant. Specifically, Watson and Rayner wanted to determine whether a child could be made to fear a previously neutral stimulus through classical conditioning.

Method

Research Method and Design: Laboratory experiment with a single subject (case study)

Variables:

• Independent variable: pairing of rat with loud noise

• Dependant variable: Little Albert’s fear response

Sample: 

• One infant, known as "Little Albert" (9 months old at the start of the study)

• He was chosen because he was emotionally stable and showed no pre-existing fear of animals or objects used in the study.

Procedure:

1: Baseline Emotional Responses (Pre-Conditioning Phase)

• Watson and Rayner tested Albert’s natural reactions to various stimuli, including:

1. white rat
2. a rabbit
3. a monkey
4. masks with and without hair

• At this time, he showed no signs of fear towards any of these objects.

2: Conditioning Phase (Creating the Fear Response)

• When Albert was 11 months old, the conditioning process began:

• Albert was presented with the white rat (neutral stimulus).

• As Albert reached for the rat, Watson struck a steel bar behind Albert's head using a hammer.

• The loud noise (unconditioned stimulus) startled Albert, making him cry (unconditioned response).

• This process was repeated several times over multiple sessions.

• After repeated pairings, Albert began to associate the white rat with the loud noise

• He would start crying and showing fear just at the sight of the rat, even without the noise.

3: Generalization Phase (Spreading the Fear to Other Objects)

• After conditioning, Watson tested whether Albert’s fear would generalize to other similar objects.

• He cried when presented with a rabbit, a dog, a fur coat, and a Santa Claus mask with a beard.

Results:

• Albert initially had no fear of the white rat or other furry objects.

• After conditioning, he showed distress and avoidance when exposed to the white rat.

• The fear response generalized to similar stimuli, including a rabbit and a fur coat.

Conclusion

• The study demonstrated that fear could be conditioned in a human infant through classical conditioning.

• Emotional responses, like fear, could be learned and generalized to similar stimuli.

• The findings supported the behaviorist perspective that emotions are shaped by experience rather than being innate.

Watson, J. B., & Rayner, R. (1920). Conditioned emotional reactions. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 3(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0069608

Cherry, K. (2024, July 11). What was the little Albert Experiment?. Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/the-little-albert-experiment-2794994