Watson And Rayner Flashcards
What was the aim of Watson and Rayner’s (1920) study?
To determine whether a fear response to a rat could be classically conditioned by pairing the rat with a loud noise
Additional aims included exploring the generalization of conditioned fear and the effects of time on learned fears.
Who was the participant in the Watson and Rayner study?
Albert B (known as Little Albert), a healthy and typically calm nine-month-old infant
He lived in a children’s hospital where his mother worked as a nurse.
What were considered neutral stimuli in the study?
Rabbit, rat, dog, monkey, masks with and without hair, cotton wool, burning newspaper
These stimuli did not elicit any emotional reaction from Little Albert.
What was the unconditioned stimulus in the study?
A loud noise made by hitting a steel bar with a hammer
This noise startled Albert and caused an unconditioned response.
What was observed in Albert when the loud noise was paired with the rat?
He flinched, hid his face, and gave a distressed whimper
This response indicated the conditioning of fear towards the rat.
At what age did Albert first show a reaction to the rat after the conditioning?
At 11 months, 3 days
This was after the first pairing of the rat with the loud noise.
What happened after the third pairing of the rat and the loud noise?
Albert whimpered at the sight of the rat
This indicated that the fear response was being conditioned.
How did Albert’s behavior change after additional pairings of the rat and the loud noise?
He rapidly crawled away when he saw the rat
This demonstrated a heightened fear response to the rat.
What methodology was used in the Watson and Rayner study?
A three-month longitudinal case study
The study involved controlled observations and qualitative data collection.
What was the purpose of giving Albert building blocks after each trial?
To quieten him down
This was a method to soothe Albert after he exhibited distress.
True or False: Albert initially showed fear towards the rat before conditioning.
False
Albert did not show any emotional reaction to the rat prior to the conditioning.
What stimuli were shown to Albert at 11 months, 15 days?
Rat, rabbit, dog, fur coat, cotton wool, white hair on a Santa Claus mask
The stimuli included both animals and white fluffy items to assess fear responses.
At 11 months, 20 days, how did Albert’s fear response change when shown the rat?
Seemed less scared initially, but fear returned after pairing with loud noise
This indicates the impact of conditioning on fear responses.
What did Watson and Rayner (1920) conclude about fear and neutral stimuli?
It is possible to learn to fear previously neutral stimuli
This supports the idea that phobias are conditioned emotional reactions.
What is one strength of the Watson and Rayner (1920) study?
Longitudinal design observing Albert over three months
This allowed for tracking changes in fear responses over time.
What type of data was collected in the Watson and Rayner (1920) study?
Qualitative data
Detailed observations included behavior, bodily movement, and facial expressions.
What is a weakness of the Watson and Rayner (1920) study related to the environment?
Laboratory setting may lack ecological validity
Reactions could differ in familiar environments compared to unfamiliar ones.
Why is the individual case of Albert considered a limitation in the Watson and Rayner (1920) study?
Only conducted on one child, limiting generalizability
Different children may react differently, affecting the applicability of findings.
What did Alexander and Wilcox (2012) suggest regarding sex differences in infants?
A female infant may have behaved differently in the study
This highlights the importance of considering gender in developmental studies.
Fill in the blank: Many phobias are conditioned emotional reactions learned in _______.
childhood
This emphasizes the developmental aspect of phobia formation.
True or False: Albert showed fear to all stimuli presented to him.
False
He showed less fear towards the dog compared to the rabbit.
What behaviors did Albert exhibit when distressed by white fluffy items?
Attempts to self-soothe, such as thumb sucking
This indicates individual differences in coping mechanisms among children.
