The Little Albert Experiment remains one of the darkest experiments in psychology to date. John Watson and Rosalie Rayner, the researchers of the study, was inspired by the experiment conducted by Pavlov in his famous study on 'Classical Conditioning' on dogs. The objective of the study was to see if it is possible to induce phobia in an individual and in this experiment, the only participant was a 9-month-old infant referred to as 'Little Albert' (not the real name).
Little Albert was retrieved from Harriet Lane Home hospital, where the mother works as a nurse. The study was conducted at Johns Hopkins University. It has been said that Little Albert's mother was not aware of the study being carried out on her child and when she did found out a year later, they both left the hospital immediately which halted the study prematurely. This also meant, there were no follow-ups made by both John Watson and Rosalie Rayner in an effort to mend Little Albert's newfound fear.
What is also interesting about this study, apart from the unethical issues surrounding it, is the original footage recorded by the researchers depicting the procedures carried out and the reactions given by Little Albert when presented with the furry animals.
If you'd like to watch a similar video I made, click the link below:
- Wendell Johnson Monster Study - [ Ссылка ]
Further readings:
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Credits:
- 1940s Family Kids Playing Outside - Vintage Black and White Home Movie Footage by The Old Timey Channel ([ Ссылка ])
- Picture from timeline.com ([ Ссылка ])
