What did John Watson do to Little Albert?
Albert was a 9-month-old baby who had not previously demonstrated any fear of rats. In the beginning of the experiment, when Albert was 11 months old, John Watson placed a rat (in addition to some other animals and objects with fur) on the table in front of Albert, who reacted with curiosity and no sign of fear.
What was unethical about the Little Albert experiment?
Unfortunately, one of the Little Albert experiment ethical issues was that Little Albert was harmed during the experiment. This is because he was classically conditioned to fear white rats, and such fear did not exist earlier in baby Albert. This could also have resulted in Albert suffering for his entire life.
Why was Little Albert chosen?
The aim of Watson and Rayner was to condition a phobia in an emotionally stable child. For this study they chose a nine-month old infant from a hospital referred to as “Albert” for the experiment. Watson followed the procedures which Pavlov had used in his experiments with dogs.
Was Little Albert debriefed?
“Little Albert,” the baby behind John Watson’s famous 1920 emotional conditioning experiment at Johns Hopkins University, has been identified as Douglas Merritte, the son of a wetnurse named Arvilla Merritte who lived and worked at a campus hospital at the time of the experiment — receiving $1 for her baby’s …
Why was baby Albert Afraid of white rabbits?
He was shown a white rat, a rabbit, a monkey and various masks. Albert described as “on the whole stolid and unemotional” showed no fear of any of these stimuli. However, what did startle him and cause him to be afraid was if a hammer was struck against a steel bar behind his head.
Why did Little Albert become afraid of anything that resembled a white rat?
Albert described as “on the whole stolid and unemotional” showed no fear of any of these stimuli. However, what did startle him and cause him to be afraid was if a hammer was struck against a steel bar behind his head. In this experiment, a previously unafraid baby was conditioned to become afraid of a rat.
Who is the real Little Albert?
What are the ethical issues of the Little Albert experiment?
There are many ethical issues that arose from this study. Firstly, Little Albert was only nine months when he carried out this experiment. This could be seen as unethical for he could not give consent himself. His mother did give consent, however, she was very poor and Watson and Rayner did give her money to give consent.
Is Little Albert study unethical?
according to today’s ethical standards, the nature of the study itself would be considered unethical, as it did not protect Albert from psychological harm, because its purpose was to induce a state of fear. Many sources claim that Little Albert was used as a subject in the study without the permission of his mother.
What was the result of the Little Albert experiment?
The Little Albert Experiment demonstrated that classical conditioning—the association of a particular stimulus or behavior with an unrelated stimulus or behavior—works in human beings. In this experiment, a previously unafraid baby was conditioned to become afraid of a rat.
Who was Little Albert Quizlet?
“Little Albert,” the baby behind John Watson ‘s famous 1920 emotional conditioning experiment at Johns Hopkins University , has been identified as Douglas Merritte, the son of a wetnurse named Arvilla Merritte who lived and worked at a campus hospital at the time of the experiment — receiving $1 for her baby’s participation.
