To find out if classical conditioning
works on humans
DESIGN
Repeated measures design
DV
The number of fearful behaviours
Albert shows when presented with the
stimuli
IV
(1) Before conditioning compared to after
conditioning; (2) Being presented with
the white rat compared to being
presented with other white fluffy objects
SAMPLE
One baby boy, Albert, 9 months old.
PROCEDURE
PRE CONDITIONING TESTING
Albert was 9 months old when his responses to
numerous stimuli were recorded, such as exposure to a
white rat and the noise of a steel bar being struck by a
hammer behind his head.
Albert only showed a fear
response to the loud noise,
making this an unconditioned
stimulus as no learning was
required
CONDITIONING TRIALS
When Albert was 11 months old he was again given the white rat to
play with but when Albert reached for the rat the steal bar was
struck behind him.
This process was repeated five times the
next week and twice more 17 days later.
POST CONDITIONING TEST
Afterwards the
effects were
tested by
showing Albert
the rat alone and
monitoring his
reaction.
FINDINGS
Before conditioning (age 9 months)
Albert only showed the fear response
to the loud noise created by striking
hammer against a metal bar behind his
head. He showed no fear to all other
stimuli.
fter the 1st trial Albert showed some distress, during
the 2nd trial he seemed suspicious of the rat and by
the 3rd trial Albert leaned away from the rat and
when a rat was put next to him Albert started to cry.
7 weeks later Albert cried in response to a
number of white furry stimuli including the
fur collar of his mothers coat and a Santa
Beard.
CONCLUSION
Watson & Rayner concluded that they had successfully
conditioned Albert to fear the white rat and that his fear response
generalised to other white, furry things
EVALUATION
GENERALISABILITY
This was a study of one young child
it lacks population validity as the
findings cannot be generalised to
others.
RELIABILITY
The study has high reliability as the use of
standardised procedures allows for high
control over all extraneous variables. This
makes it easy to replicate
APPLICATION
This research has demonstrated that phobias can be learnt
through the process of classical conditioning. Therefore, if we
can understand how phobias do develop we can incorporate
this into treatment of this form of behaviour.
VALIDITY
Lacks ecological validity as it
was a lab experiment and
the task is artificial
ETHICS
The study is clearly unethical. Watson & Rayner deliberately
caused distress to an infant and continued even though he
was upset
Also, they gave Albert a fear without knowledge that it could be reversed