Overview
This lecture reviews John B. Watson's Little Albert experiment, its significance in classical conditioning, and introduces the opponent process theory of color vision.
Classical Conditioning Background
- Classical conditioning was first demonstrated by Ivan Pavlov with dogs.
- In classical conditioning, an unconditioned stimulus (UCS) produces an unconditioned response (UCR).
- A conditioned stimulus (CS) can, through association, elicit a conditioned response (CR).
Watson's Little Albert Experiment
- John B. Watson aimed to apply classical conditioning to humans.
- Little Albert, a stable infant, was chosen for the study.
- Albert initially showed no fear toward various objects, favoring a white rat.
- Watson paired the white rat (CS) with a loud noise (UCS), causing Albert to develop a fear response (CR) to the rat.
- Fear generalized to similar objects: rabbit, dog, fur coat, and Santa mask.
- Generalization is when a conditioned response transfers to similar stimuli.
- In a different setting, Albert's response was weak unless the loud noise was paired with objects.
- After one month, Albert retained his conditioned fear.
Conclusions from Little Albert
- Watson demonstrated that fears (phobias) can be conditioned in humans.
- The study profoundly influenced future psychological research on learning and behavior.
Opponent Process Theory of Color Vision
- The opponent process theory explains how color vision works through three pairs of color receptors: red-green, yellow-blue, and black-white.
- Each pair works in opposition (activation of one inhibits the other).
Key Terms & Definitions
- Classical Conditioning — A learning process where a neutral stimulus becomes associated with a meaningful stimulus, eliciting a response.
- Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS) — A stimulus that naturally elicits a response.
- Unconditioned Response (UCR) — An automatic, natural reaction to a UCS.
- Conditioned Stimulus (CS) — A previously neutral stimulus that, after association, elicits a response.
- Conditioned Response (CR) — A learned response to a CS.
- Generalization — The tendency for a conditioned response to occur with stimuli similar to the original CS.
- Opponent Process Theory — The idea that color vision is controlled by opposing color pairs.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Review the process and terminology of classical conditioning.
- Read more about ethical considerations in psychological experiments.
- Study the details of the opponent process theory for vision.