1.3.4 Classical Research - Little Albert

Question 1

(Method) What was the little Albert study designed to test?

Answer 1

Whether human emotions can be acquired through classical conditioning - teaching a phobia

Question 2

(Method) What research method was used in the study?

Answer 2

A controlled observation

Question 3

(Method) Who was the participant?

Answer 3

A normal male aged 9 months

Question 4

(Method) Why was it not a case study?

Answer 4

It only focuses on Alberts response to conditioning, it wasn’t in depth or over time

Question 5

(Method) Why was the study not an experiment?

Answer 5

There was only one condition

Question 6

(Procedure) What were Alberts responses recorded using?

Answer 6

A motion picture camera

Question 7

(Procedure)What happened in the first part of emotional tests?

Answer 7

Alberts emotional response were tested by presenting him with objects he hadn’t seen before

Question 8

(Procedure)What objects was Albert presented wi during emotional tests?

Answer 8

A white rat
Monkey 
Cotton wool
A rabbit
A dog
Masks
Burning newspaper

Question 9

(Procedure) What happened during the second part of emotional tests?

Answer 9

Albert was tested with a loud noise produced by striking a hammer on a steel bar behind his head

Question 10

(Procedure) What happened to 11month 3day old Albert in session 1?

Answer 10

Albert was presented with the rat and began to reach for it, at that moment the bar was struck behind his head

Question 11

(Procedure) What happened to 11month 10day old Albert during session 2?

Answer 11

Albert was shown the rat with no noise to see if he was affected by his previous experience
Then Albert was exposed to the joint stimulation 5 times

Question 12

(Procedure) What is the joint stimulation?

Answer 12

The rat paired with the noise

Question 13

(Procedure) Who conducted the little Albert study?

Answer 13

Watson and Rayner

Question 14

(Procedure) What happened to 11month 15day old Albert during session 3 of generalisation?

Answer 14

Albert was shown the rat, wooden blocks, a rabbit, a dog, a fur coat, cotton wool and watsons hair to see if the link would generalise to other objects

Question 15

(Procedure) What happened during session 4 of the new environment when Albert was 11 months and 20 days

Answer 15

Albert was taken to a new environment a well lit lecture room with 4 people present, he was then placed on a table and was shown the objects
Freshening up occurred

Question 16

(Procedure) What is freshening up that occurred in session 4?

Answer 16

Further joint stimulation to strengthen Alberts response

Question 17

(Procedure) What did 12 month and 21day old Alberts final tests in session 5 involve?

Answer 17

A Santa mask
A fur coat
A rat
A rabbit
A dog 
Wooden blocks

Question 18

(Findings) What were the findings of the emotional tests to the objects?

Answer 18

Albert showed no fear response to any of the objects

Question 19

(Findings) What was Alberts response to the noise during the emotional tests?

Answer 19

The first time the bar was struck - Albert started violently, his breathing checked and arms raised
By the 3rd strike he broke into a crying fit

Question 20

(Findings) During session 1 when the bar was struck with the rat what was Alberts response?

Answer 20

1st time - Albert jumped and fell forward, burying his head

2nd time - Albert fell again whimpering a little

Question 21

(Findings) in session 2 what response did Albert show to the rat?

Answer 21

Just stared at it

When it was placed closer he began to reach but withdrew when it tried to nuzzle his hand

Question 22

(Findings) during session 2 Alberts cautious behaviour was tested by giving him blocks, what did he do?

Answer 22

Played normally showing his emotional state was normal and the cautious response was only to the rat

Question 23

(Findings) during session 2 after further joint stimulation, when Albert was shown the rat what did he do?

Answer 23

Became distressed
Cried
Crawled away so rapidly he had to be caught before reaching the edge of the table

Question 24

(Findings) when shown the blocks in session 3 what did albert do?

Answer 24

Played happily

Question 25

(Findings) in session 3 what was alberts immediate response to the rat?

Answer 25

Fear

Question 26

(Findings) in session 3 what was alberts reaction to the rabbit?

Answer 26

Just as extreme as the rat | Bursting into tears and crawling away

Question 27

(Findings) in session 3 the dog and fur coat did not produce what?

Answer 27

As violent a reaction

Question 28

(Findings) in session 3 when given the cotton wool in a package what did Albert do?

Answer 28

Played with the package | Didn't touch the cotton wool at first but was later less cautious

Question 29

(Findings) in session 3 what was alberts response to John Watson hair?

Answer 29

No fear response

Question 30

(Findings) in session 4 in the new environment Alberts responses to the rat and rabbit were what?

Answer 30

Less extreme

Question 31

(Findings) in session 4 after freshening up what was alberts conditioned fear response?

Answer 31

Stronger

Question 32

(Findings) in session 4 what was alberts response to the building blocks?

Answer 32

Playing happily never whimpering

Question 33

(Findings) in session 4 it was shown a distinct learned response persisted to what type of objects?

Answer 33

Furry

Question 34

(Findings) in session 5 Albert responded to the furry objects in a less extreme way but still did what?

Answer 34

Avoided them and whimpered | On occasions crying

Question 35

(Conclusions) the experiment showed the ease at which what can be created?

Answer 35

A fear response

Question 36

(Conclusions) how many joint stimulations were sufficient to create an emotional response?

Answer 36

Two

Question 37

(Conclusions) how many joint stimulations were sufficient to bring about the complete response?

Answer 37

7

Question 38

(Conclusions) the study showed learnt responses can be generalised to what? And how did the study show this?

Answer 38

Similar stimuli | Albert was scared of objects sharing characteristics with the rat such as the rabbit and the cotton wool

Question 39

(Conclusions) Watson and rayner said it is provable many phobias are accounted via what?

Answer 39

Classical conditioning and association

Question 40

(Conclusions) Watson and Rayner suggested persistence of early conditioned responses would only be found in who?

Answer 40

People who were constitutionally inferior - psychologically weaker

Question 41

(Conclusions) at the time of the research the favoured psychological explanations were what?

Answer 41

Freudian psychodynamic explanations

Question 42

(Conclusions) the Freudian interpretation of little alberts thumb sucking was what?

Answer 42

Oral stage

Question 43

(Conclusions) Watson and rayner suggested Freud may have been wrong rather thumb sucking was what?

Answer 43

Compensation to block fear | Source of comfort