Lecture Notes: Little Albert Experiment and Classical Conditioning

Introduction to the Little Albert Experiment

• Conducted by: John Watson and Rosalie Rayner
• Subject: A baby boy named Little Albert
• Objective: To teach Albert to fear white rats using classical conditioning

Phases of the Study

1. Pre-Conditioning Phase

• Observation: Little Albert had no fears of animals, including white rats
• Evidence: Demonstrated in the film showing Albert interacting calmly with various animals

2. Conditioning Phase

• Method: Not filmed but involves key steps
  • Stimulus Pairing: A loud noise (struck steel bar with hammer) when Albert reached for the rat
  • Repetitions: Six pairings of the loud noise with the sight of the rat
• Result: Albert started to associate the loud noise with the rat, developing a fear response

3. Post-Conditioning Phase

• Observation: Albert's reaction to the white rat after conditioning
  • Behavior: Albert demonstrated fear when presented with a white rat
  • Belief: Investigators interpreted this as evidence of conditioned fear

4. Generalization of the Conditioned Fear

• Hypothesis: Conditioned fear would extend to similar stimuli
• Test: Presentation of objects similar to white rats (rabbit, dog, furry object, white mask)
• Outcome: Albert showed fear reactions to these similar objects indicating generalized fear

Key Concepts

• Classical Conditioning: Learning process where a natural reflex responds to a stimulus
• Conditioned Stimulus (CS): Originally neutral stimulus (white rat) becomes associated with an unconditioned stimulus (loud noise)
• Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS): Stimulus that naturally triggers a response (loud noise)
• Unconditioned Response (UCR): Natural reaction to UCS (fear of loud noise)
• Conditioned Response (CR): Learned response to previously neutral CS (fear of white rats)
• Generalization: Transfer of a conditioned response to stimuli that are similar to the conditioned stimulus

Conclusion

• Significance: Study provided insight into how fears can be conditioned and generalized in humans
• Ethical Considerations: Modern view considers the ethical implications, such as the potential trauma caused to Little Albert