Little Albert Experiment Flashcards

Questions and Answers

What was the aim of the Little Albert experiment?

To find out if classical conditioning works on humans, specifically, if a fear response can be conditioned into a 9-month-old baby.

What was the independent variable in the Little Albert experiment?

Being presented with a white fluffy rat.

What was the dependent variable in the Little Albert experiment?

The number of fearful behaviors Albert shows when presented with the stimuli.

What was the population for the Little Albert experiment?

Children at the hospital. Signup and view all the answers

Who was the sample in the Little Albert experiment?

One baby boy, Albert B, aged 9 months at the start of the study. Signup and view all the answers

What sampling method was used in the Little Albert experiment?

Opportunity or convenience sampling. Signup and view all the answers

Describe the conditions/method used in the Little Albert experiment.

Albert was tested with a white rat and other stimuli to observe fear reactions and was conditioned after exposure. Signup and view all the answers

What experimental design was used in the Little Albert experiment?

Repeated measures design. Signup and view all the answers

What is one advantage of the experimental design used?

No participant differences. Signup and view all the answers

What is one limitation of the experimental design used?

Order effects. Signup and view all the answers

What were the results of the Little Albert experiment?

Albert whimpered and cried when the rat was presented alone, indicating the rat became a conditioned stimulus. Signup and view all the answers

What conclusion did Watson and Rayner draw from the experiment?

They successfully conditioned Albert to fear the white rat, and the fear response generalized to other similar stimuli. Signup and view all the answers

What are extraneous variables in the context of the Little Albert experiment?

Influences such as the experimenter's attitude or being in a different environment. Signup and view all the answers

What were the withdrawal rights concerning Little Albert?

Nobody was there to advocate for Little Albert. Signup and view all the answers

What is informed consent in research?

The mother needed to understand what she was agreeing to. Signup and view all the answers

What does voluntary participation mean in research ethics?

There was no explanation to the mother about the study. Signup and view all the answers

What are confidentiality issues observed in the Little Albert experiment?

His face and name are all over the internet and books. Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of debriefing in research?

Response should have been extinguished but his mother took him away unknowing of the planned extinction. Signup and view all the answers

What is the neutral stimulus in the Little Albert experiment?

The white fluffy rat. Signup and view all the answers

What is the unconditioned stimulus in the Little Albert experiment?

The loud noise. Signup and view all the answers

What is the unconditioned response in the context of the Little Albert experiment?

Crying and screaming at the sound of the loud noise. Signup and view all the answers

What is the conditioned stimulus that was established in the Little Albert experiment?

The loud noise became the conditioned stimulus. Signup and view all the answers

What is the conditioned response demonstrated by Little Albert?

Little Albert reacted to the conditioned stimulus by crying and screaming. Signup and view all the answers

What does stimulus generalization refer to in the experiment?

Little Albert became afraid of everything white and fluffy. Signup and view all the answers

What is the validity of the Little Albert experiment?

The study has careful controls. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Aim

Investigated if classical conditioning could create fear responses in humans.
Specifically targeted a 9-month-old baby (Little Albert) to see if fear could be conditioned and generalized to other stimuli.

Independent Variable

Exposure of Little Albert to a white fluffy rat.

Dependent Variable

The frequency of fearful behaviors displayed by Albert when confronted with the stimuli.

Population

Focused on children within a hospital setting.

Sample

Subject was a 9-month-old boy, Albert B, who appeared healthy and fearless.
Albert's mother, a hospital nurse, participated for a payment of $1.

Sampling Method

Utilized opportunity or convenience sampling for participant selection.

Conditions (Method)

At 9 months, a variety of stimuli were tested, revealing initially neutral responses.
An iron bar was struck to introduce an unconditioned stimulus (UCS), eliciting an unconditioned response (UCR) from Albert.
Conditioning began at 11 months with repeated pairing of the rat and the loud noise.

Experimental Design

Employed a repeated measures design, assessing Albert before and after conditioning.

Advantages of Experimental Design

Eliminated participant differences as the same subject was used across all conditions.

Limitations of Experimental Design

Potential order effects may have influenced results.

Results

Albert displayed whimpering and crying when presented with the rat alone, indicating a conditioned stimulus (CS).
The conditioned response (CR) was established and remained apparent, albeit weaker, one month later.
Experiment concluded prematurely when Albert’s mother took him away before planned extinction could occur.

Conclusions

Successfully conditioned a fear response in Little Albert towards the white rat, which generalized to other white, furry objects, increasing with similarity.

Extraneous Variables

Potential influences included the experimenter's clinical demeanor and changes in environment or separation from his mother.

Withdrawal Rights

Lack of advocacy for Albert's welfare and rights during the experiment.

Unclear whether Albert's mother fully understood the study's implications before participating.

Voluntary Participation

Participation lacked thorough explanation to Albert’s mother.

Confidentiality

Albert's identity and imagery publicly shared in scientific literature and media raised concerns.

Debriefing

No debriefing occurred; it was intended to extinguish the conditioned response which did not happen due to Albert being taken away.

Neutral Stimulus

Initially, the white fluffy rat was a neutral stimulus with no fear response.

Unconditioned Stimulus

The loud noise served as the unconditioned stimulus leading to an instinctive response of fear.

Unconditioned Response

Albert's crying and screaming represented his natural reaction to the loud noise.

Conditioned Stimulus

The loud noise transitioned into a conditioned stimulus associated with the rat.

Conditioned Response

Albert's learned behavior included crying and screaming in response to the conditioned stimulus.

Stimulus Generalisation

Albert developed a fear of other white and fluffy objects, showcasing broader anxiety beyond the rat.

Validity

Strong controls were implemented in the study, such as ensuring Albert would associate the noise with the rat and not the experimenter.

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Description

Explore the key concepts of the Little Albert Experiment through flashcards. Learn about the aims, variables, and implications of this classical conditioning study. This quiz delves into how fear responses can be developed and generalized in humans.