Watson and Rayner (1920), classic study (LT)

Question 1

Aim

Answer 1

They aimed to see if it is possible to induce a fear in a human child of a previously neutral stimulus through classical conditioning and whether the fear will be transferred to other similar objects.

Question 2

Procedure

Answer 2

• A 9-month-old baby, “Little Albert,” was first tested for baseline emotional responses to various neutral stimuli (e.g., a rat, rabbit, dog). He showed no fear but reacted to a loud noise by crying.
• At 11 months, conditioning began over five sessions, where the loud noise (UCS) was paired with the white rat, creating an association. Albert’s reactions were measured in different environments.
• By the final session at 12 months, Albert was tested with various white furry objects (e.g., Santa mask, fur coat) to assess if his fear had generalised.

Question 3

Findings

Answer 3

• Initially, Albert showed no fear of the objects but cried in response to the loud noise. By session 3, he displayed fear towards the white rat and other furry objects, even without the noise.
• His fear persisted in sessions 4 and 5, though it was less intense in a different environment.

Question 4

Conclusion

Answer 4

• The study demonstrated that phobias could be learned through classical conditioning and that conditioned emotional responses could last over time.

Question 5

Strength (with counter)

Answer 5

I – The study had a standardised procedure, and variables were carefully selected and controlled for.
J – For example, Albert was selected due to his emotional stability, making it less likely that an anxious temperament could affect the fear conditioning. Furthermore, other variables such as external noise were removed when the white rat was paired with the loud noise.
E – This design makes it likely that the changes in Albert’s behaviour were due to the conditioning and learning by association, rather than extraneous variables supporting this stimulus-response link

COUNTER POINT:
- However, not all aspects were controlled for. For example, the white rabbit was suddenly placed
- down in front of Albert, and the dog was pushed towards him. It was these sudden actions that could have started Albert and triggered the fear response, rather than the animals themselves.

Question 6

Weakness

Answer 6

I – This study is not representative of the true acquisition of phobias
J – Watson and Rayner conditioned Albert to have a fear of white rats, creating the phobia in a controlled, methodical way. However, in real life, children would acquire fears more spontaneously, without the controlled process.
E – So, Watson and Rayner’s findings about the conditioning of phobias may not be representative of real-life learning of fears, and the development of phobias