Little Albert experiment Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
The Little Albert experiment was an experiment showing empirical evidence of classical conditioning. It was conducted by John B. Watson along with Rosalie Rayner, his assistant whom he later married. The study was done at Johns Hopkins University.
Methodology
The actual experiment with Little Albert had Watson exposing Albert to a loud sound (made by a bar being banged right behind Albert's head) while being presented to a white object. It is important to note that before Albert cried or screamed he thrusted his thumb into his mouth, originally. This stimulus made him forget about the loud sound. It took more than 30 times for Watson to finally take Albert's thumb out to get the required reaction. First Albert was exposed to a rat. He did not cry after reaching it with his left hand. But when he reached for it with his right, he began to whimper. The second time, a week after, after a series of testing, Albert was able to cry by only being presented with the rat. Five days later, Albert showed generalization by reacting to blocks, a dog, a fur coat and wool. This testing continued, including more of the above objects and more, like a Santa Claus mask.
Unfortunately, the day that Watson planned to find how to remove the above conditioning, Albert's mother removed the child, who was at the university's hospital child care area.
Ethics
Albert was 11 months and three days old at the time of the first test. Because of his young age, the experiment today would be considered unethical. Since this experiment, and others which pushed the boundaries of experimental ethics, the American Psychological Association has banned unethical studies.
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