watson and rayner

Question 1

aim

Answer 1

• to see if they could condition a fear of a white rat into a child by pairing the animal with a loud band using a steel rod
• to see if the fear would be transferred onto other objects
• to see the effect of time on the conditioned response
• to see if the fear could be removed in a lab

Question 2

sample

Answer 2

one male ppt called little albert who was 9 months old at the start of the study, he had a normal life and was healthy from birth. no one had ever seen him in a state of fear or rage and he practically never cried

Question 3

procedure

Answer 3

1. lab experiment
2. sample mark
3. the infant was assessed on his response to a white rat before the study began to ensure he wasn’t already afraid it, they found that he was not scared and wanted to play with it
4. at 11 months and 3 days, the rat was presented to little albert and as he went to touch it the steel bar was struck
5. at 11 months and 10 days, the rat was presented without sound at first, but when his left hand touched the rat the bar was struck
6. they tested him with blocks after
7. there were many further episodes of joint stimulation of the rat and sound
8. at 11 months and 15 days they checked if his fear of the rat generalised to any other objects, e.g. a fur coat, santa mask and cotton wool
9. at 11 months and 20 days they were supposed to uncondition him but didn’t get the chance
10. any other sounds, people or toys were not present when the rat was
11. the experimenter hid behind a curtain when striking the steel rod

Question 4

results

Answer 4

1. at 11 months and 3 days, when little alberts left hand went to touch the rat the steel bar was struck and he jumped violently, fell forward and whimpered
2. at 11 months and 15 days, little alberts fear of the white rat had generalised onto the santa mask, which he cried in response to

Question 5

conclusions

Answer 5

the fear may have lasted a life time

Question 6

high internal validity

Answer 6

extraneous variables such as any other sounds, people or other toys, like the blocks, were controlled for. therefore, meaning that the steel bar being struck was the reason for the fear response, so you can infer cause and effect.