Watson & Rayner (1920)

?
Aim of the study
To investigate if our emotions could be obtained through classical conditioning
1 of 24
Prediction
Watson Rayner stated that people learn emotional responses such as fear, through a series of unpleasant events. They were going to classically condition Little Albert to fear white, fluffy things
2 of 24
What type of experiment was used? What experimental design was used?
A Controlled Observation & A Repeated Measures Design
3 of 24
What is the I.V and D.V of this observation?
I.V. being shown the white rat compared to other white, fluffy objects; the emotional responses shown by Albert before & after conditioning. D.V. the number of fearful behaviours shown by Albert when presented with stimuli (object)
4 of 24
Describe the participant used in this observation
Little Albert was a normal male infant aged 9 months old. He was placed a mattress on a table, during conditioning & recorded using a motion picture camera
5 of 24
Name the 12 objects used in the experiment to test Little Albert's emotional responses
Monkey, Santa Clause mask, Rabbit, Burning Newspaper, Watson's hair, Building blocks (control), Fur coat, White mouse, Hammer & Steel bar, Dog, Masks with or without fur & Cotton wool
6 of 24
Describe the procedures completed at 9 months: Emotional Tests
A bassline condition was done to test Albert's emotional responses to certain objects. This was not done at the same time & it was the first time he had see objects. Albert was tested with a loud sound by striking a hammer on a steel bar
7 of 24
Describe the findings at 9 months: Emotional Tests
Little Albert displayed no fear before conditioning began; he had never been seen in a state of fear (practically never cried). The first time the bar was struck behind him, researcher recorded the response
8 of 24
Describe the procedures at 11 Months 3 Days: Establishing a conditioned emotional response
Little Albert returned to the lab again where the white rat was presented to him again. As he reached for the rat, the steel bar was struck behind his head.
9 of 24
Describe the findings at 11 Months 3 Days: Establishing a conditioned emotional response
The first time the bar was struck behind Albert's head here, he jumped, buried his head in the table but did not cry. The second time the bar was struck, he fell forward again & this time he whimpered a little.
10 of 24
Describe the procedures at 11 Months 10 Days: A conditioned emotional response
Albert was shown a rat without the sound being struck to see if his previous encounter with the rat affected his behaviour with it. Also, he was given some wooden blocks to play with to test how cautious he was to non-furry objects.
11 of 24
Describe the findings at 11 Months 10 Days: A conditioned emotional response
Albert showed new response to rat & did reach out for it but stared. When rat was placed closer to him, he reached out but withdrew when the rat nuzzled his hand. Response to blocks were normal. The more Albert was shown rat & noise = more distressed
12 of 24
Describe the procedures at 11 Months 15 Days: Generalisation
Albert was presented with white rat & other objects to see if the learned link between the rate & loud noise could be generalised to other objects. After, Albert was presented with the rat & the bar was struck 5 times as loud.
13 of 24
Describe the findings at 11 Months 15 Days: Generalisation
Albert played happily with blocks but responded with fear towards rat; this implied that his first emotional response was retained. His reaction to the rabbit was extreme like the rat (burst into tears & crawled away). Dog & fur coat was no violent
14 of 24
Describe the procedures at 11 Months 20 Days: Changing the environment
Albert's conditioned emotional response was refreshed as he was taken to another environment. A large well-lit lecture theatre with 4 people present; Albert was placed on a table in the middle of the room.
15 of 24
Describe the findings at 11 Months 20 Days: Changing the environment
After Albert was taken to the new environment, his responses to rat were less extreme than before. After refreshing & creating further exposure to the rat & loud noise, the conditioned fear response was stronger
16 of 24
Describe the procedures at 12 Months 21 Days: The effect of time
This was the last time Albert was tested; Albert had been to the lab in between but not tested for emotional responses. The final test involved a Santa Clause mask, fur coat, the rat, rabbit, the dog & the building blocks.
17 of 24
Describe the findings at 12 Months 21 Days: The effect of time
Albert showed different responses to these objects compared to control objects (wooden block). His reaction to fury objects had reduced but he clearly avoided them & whimpered & sometimes cried.
18 of 24
Describe the conclusions Watson & Rayner's study
Watson & Rayner had successfully conditioned Albert to fear the white rat & his fear generalised to other objects that resembled it (the more similar the object, the stronger the reaction). Responses can occur after a few pairings with the stimuli
19 of 24
Evaluate the methodology: CONTROLLED VARIABLES
Study took place in a controlled lab setting in a dark room; building blocks were a control; this allowed for the control extraneous variables = high internal validity. But, different setting may show varied results = low internal validity
20 of 24
Evaluate the methodology: USE OF STANDARDISED PROCEDURES
Standardised procedures controlled extraneous variable = high internal reliability
21 of 24
Evaluate the methodology: USE OF A LABORATORY
Research was conducted in a lab & thus cannot be generalised to setting outside a lab = low ecological validity. Hitting a steel bar with Albert holding the rat is an unnatural situation = lacks mundane realism
22 of 24
Evaluate the methodology: PARTICIPANTS
The study of one boy is gender bias & filled with participant variables & thus cannot be generalised to others. Albert was described as emotionally unstable so may have shown more fear than a normal child & for longer = low population validity.
23 of 24
Evaluate the findings & conclusions: ALTERNATIVE RESEARCH
Another explanation for developing phobias is biological preparedness. Seligman suggested humans/animals are genetically programmed to learn associations between certain stimuli & fear that are seen as dangerous in our evolutionary past.
24 of 24

Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

Prediction

Back

Watson Rayner stated that people learn emotional responses such as fear, through a series of unpleasant events. They were going to classically condition Little Albert to fear white, fluffy things

Card 3

Front

What type of experiment was used? What experimental design was used?

Back

Preview of the front of card 3

Card 4

Front

What is the I.V and D.V of this observation?

Back

Preview of the front of card 4

Card 5

Front

Describe the participant used in this observation

Back

Preview of the front of card 5
View more cards

Comments

No comments have yet been made

Similar Psychology resources:

See all Psychology resources »See all Psychology case studies resources »