Watson and Rayner (1920) - Classic Evidence (Behaviourist)
- Created by: chlopayne
- Created on: 13-04-19 14:02
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- Watson and Rayner (1920) - Conditioned emotional reactions
- They wanted to see if they could use classical conditioning to condition a healthy baby boy to develop a fear by manipulating the environment.
- They chose neutral stimuli of rat, he showed no innate fear. If fear developed, they could state it was because of the environment.
- Methodology
- One participant, Albert B. Normal and healthy. Stability - showed little emotions.
- Research method
- Controlled observation: well-lit dark room. Mattress on table.
- Behaviour is observed and recorded.
- Procedures and findings
- Emotional tests: First tested him at 9 months with a range of stimuli to test his emotional reactions to them.
- Needed to find a stimulus that provoked a negative reaction (loud noise)
- Session 1: Establishing a conditioned emotional response.
- Procedure: Emotional responses tested. Presented with rat. A s he reached for rat, metal bar was hit (twice).
- Findings: Showed fear and cried.
- Procedure: Emotional responses tested. Presented with rat. A s he reached for rat, metal bar was hit (twice).
- Session 2: Testing the conditioned emotional response.
- Procedure: A week later, his reaction to the rat was tested. Rat and noise paired 5 times.
- Findings: Initially a little afraid of the rat. No fear of wooden blocks. Rat paired with noise, Albert showed fear. After 5 times, he showed fear to rat without noise.
- Procedure: A week later, his reaction to the rat was tested. Rat and noise paired 5 times.
- Session 3: Generalisa-tion.
- Procedure: Five days later, he was presented with a range of fluffy white objects.
- Findings: He showed fear of rabbit, fur coat, Watson's hair etc. No fear to blocks, room or hair of Watson's assistants.
- Procedure: Five days later, he was presented with a range of fluffy white objects.
- Session 4: Changing the environment.
- Procedure: Five days later, Albert was tested with rat. Fear response was "freshened up". Fear responses were tested again in a new environment (lecture hall)
- Findings: still showed fear of rat but not as strong. Response was stronger after being freshened up. In theatre, he still showed fear but not as strong.
- Procedure: Five days later, Albert was tested with rat. Fear response was "freshened up". Fear responses were tested again in a new environment (lecture hall)
- Session 5: Effect of time
- Procedure: A month later, he was tested again in the lab.
- Findings: he still showed fear but not as severe.
- Procedure: A month later, he was tested again in the lab.
- Emotional tests: First tested him at 9 months with a range of stimuli to test his emotional reactions to them.
- Evaluation
- Methodology and procures
- Carefully devised and controlled conditions, including extraneous variables.
- Low ecological validity, not generalisable
- Causal relationship found.
- Study was filmed which provides evidence.
- Study can be replicated, it was reliable.
- Only one participant, not representative
- Control group needed to compare to.
- Albert may have developed a fear to researchers or Watson, causing harm to him.
- Control condition (blocks) shows his fear towards furry objects. However, they were presented to him forcibly, not operationalised.
- The sample: based on the assumption that Albert was a normal baby boy. But he may have responded differently to other children.
- Raised in a hospital environment - unusual for a baby.
- Findings may be unique to him. Limiting usefulness and generalisability.
- Carefully devised and controlled conditions, including extraneous variables.
- Ethical issues
- Psychological harm.
- Couldn't uncondition him, causing harm.
- No consent or right to withdraw.
- Confidentiality was lost, name was given.
- Scientific. Demonstrate conditioning. How phobias develop. Development of treatments.
- Alternative evidence
- OH Mowrer (1947) - operant conditioning maintains fears that have been formed through classical conditioning. Two-process theory.
- Biological preparedness- Seligman (1970).
- Ost (1987) - phobias do stem from traumatic incidents, sometiemes forgotten.
- Methodology and procures
- Conclusion
- Albert had been given a conditioned fear response.
- The study demonstrated "emotional transfer".
- Watson said phobias will only occur on "weak wiled" people.
- Watson argued phobia would persist unless unconditioned
- They wanted to see if they could use classical conditioning to condition a healthy baby boy to develop a fear by manipulating the environment.
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