PSYC 1F90 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Little Albert Experiment, Classical Conditioning, Dependent And Independent Variables
Document Summary
The little albert experiment was an experiment done on an infant (albert) John b. watson and his graduate student rosaline rayner. Demonstrated that classical conditioning could be used to create a phobia. He was first tested when he was 9 months old by being shown a white rabbit, monkey and various masks and he had no emotional response. They made a sound behind his back ( striking a hammer each time he touched the rat) When he was 11 months old he would cry when the white rabbit was present. It had become widely accepted that phobias begin as conditioned emotional responses. Independent was albert listening to noises he was hearing. Dependent was the fear he has of the animals. It was well documented (witnesses helped document it and there were strict controls ) Only one variable was changed at a time. Helpful to understand how to acquire phobias. It is evident that classical conditioning can occur in humans.
