Watson And Rayner Baby Albert Experiment
Ever stopped and wondered if humans could be taught to fear a certain object by just looking at it? John B. Watson and Rosalie Rayner (1920) expressed that this occurrence could be made possible. Watson and Rayner (1920) conducted an experiment named “Conditioned Emotional Reactions” in 1920, which consisted of “the possibility of conditioning various types of emotional responses”. Watson and Rayner (1920) wanted to prove that they could condition the fear of an animal in a human by pairing the physical presence of the animal with a thunderous and disturbing sound. They desired to discover if the response could be transmitted to other animals or objects, and what role time played in these conditioned responses. The final step of the experiment
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The experiment started when Albert was about nine months of age. This experiment went against many of the laws in The American Psychological Association’s code of ethics. (Myers, 2013). Informed consent was the first one that was compromised. Albert was only nine months old at the time of the experiment; therefore he could not give his consent or understand what Watson and Rayner were trying to prove with him. The second law that was disregarded was the one which states that the subject was to be protected from harm and discomfort. (Myers, 2013). Poor baby Albert was put through a lot of discomfort during this experiment, which he would gladly demonstrate every time the monstrous sound of the steel bar would resonate. In the book “A Good Start in Life: Understanding your Child’s Brain and Behavior” by Norbert and Elinore Herschkowitz, it was asserted that children “express their discomfort and distress by waving their arms and legs.” These responses were very common of Albert during the experiment. Another problem that arose with Watson & Rayner’s (1920) “Conditioned Emotional Reactions” experiment was the fact that it was a case study. A case study in several occasions could be considered bias because only one subject cannot represent the rest of the population. Case studies could be deemed misleading, especially if the individual is different from the standard population. (Myers, 2013). In addition, studies with high numerical happenings were regarded as more believable than simple case studies with only one subject. (Myers,
The experiment started when Albert was about nine months of age. This experiment went against many of the laws in The American Psychological Association’s code of ethics. (Myers, 2013). Informed consent was the first one that was compromised. Albert was only nine months old at the time of the experiment; therefore he could not give his consent or understand what Watson and Rayner were trying to prove with him. The second law that was disregarded was the one which states that the subject was to be protected from harm and discomfort. (Myers, 2013). Poor baby Albert was put through a lot of discomfort during this experiment, which he would gladly demonstrate every time the monstrous sound of the steel bar would resonate. In the book “A Good Start in Life: Understanding your Child’s Brain and Behavior” by Norbert and Elinore Herschkowitz, it was asserted that children “express their discomfort and distress by waving their arms and legs.” These responses were very common of Albert during the experiment. Another problem that arose with Watson & Rayner’s (1920) “Conditioned Emotional Reactions” experiment was the fact that it was a case study. A case study in several occasions could be considered bias because only one subject cannot represent the rest of the population. Case studies could be deemed misleading, especially if the individual is different from the standard population. (Myers, 2013). In addition, studies with high numerical happenings were regarded as more believable than simple case studies with only one subject. (Myers,