The Little Albert Experiment Psychological Research And...

The Little Albert Experiment, which revealed new insight into conditioned emotional responses, affected psychological research and society through further understanding of the origin of some fears; I personally feel the experiment to have been unethical, yet it is this unethicalness which makes it particularly interesting and is why I chose this experiment in particular. The Little Albert Experiment set out to further the understanding of classical conditioning in regards to humans. The experiment was performed by John Watson and Rosaline Rayner in 1920. The experiment focused on emotionally conditioned responses or CERs. Fear, or more specifically the fear of rats, was the specific CER which they attempted to create through classical conditioning. Like in all classical conditioning examples and experiments, there was an unconditioned response, an unconditioned stimulus, a conditioned stimulus, and a conditioned response. The unconditioned response was fear in response to the uncondi tioned stimulus of a loud noise, more specifically the banging of a steel bar using a hammer. The conditioned stimulus was rat, which before the experiment was met by Albert with only joy and curiosity, and after the experiment would cause Albert instead fear. After 7 pairings of the white rat and the loud noise, Albert began to â€Å"demonstrate fear of the rat even without the noise† (Huffman and Dowdell, 2015). A conditioned emotional response had thus successfully been created through theShow MoreRelatedCritical Thinking Skills And The Little Albert Episode1035 Words   |  5 PagesThinking Skills and the Little Albert Episode Ethics remains unavoidable in most disciplines, and psychology is no exception. John Watson’s experiment deserves the current criticism because it failed to observe informed consent and protection from harm principle. The controversy arises from the principle of beneficence and non-maleficence. The principle requires psychologists, in this case, John Watson, and his student to benefit and care for his subjects. During the Experiment, Albert was nine-months-oldRead MoreThe Lab Experiment : The Experiment, And The Blue Eyes Vs. Brown Eyes Experiment967 Words   |  4 Pagespsychology experiments are used to test a psychologists hypotheses or evaluate something. The American Psychological Association has a set of rules, a Code of Conduct that describes the ethics that should be followed during an experiment. Although in the past these rules weren’t as strict as they are today which lead to the doing of some experiments. During these times there were many experiments but three have become quite popular throughout history. These experiments were The Milgram Experiment, TheRead MorePsychodynamic Approach Within Psychoanalysis ( A Human Behavior Theory ) Essay1674 Words   |  7 Pageshim believing that personality was made up of 3 important elements, ID (instinct e.g. sex, hunger, lust, aggression and so on), Ego (reality and how you perceive the world) and Superego (morality, following rules within society and being sensible). Behaviourism is a psychological approach that emphasis on environmental factors influencing observable human behaviour. This approach consists of two main processes: Classical conditioning which means learning things by associating them with somethingRead MoreThe Ethical Codes Of Human Research Ethics1035 Words   |  5 Pagesanimals. Milgram’s (1963) obedience experiment prompted various issues related to human research ethics. In Milgram’s initial experiment, participants were asked to electric shock others in order to test their level of obedience to an authority figure. According to the British Psychological Society (BPS) Code of Human Research Ethics (2010), Milgram put the studies participants at more than minimal risk as the research brought on visible levels of psychological distress and anxiety – some participantsRead MoreJohn B. Watson Behavioral Psychology Part 21415 Words   |  6 Pagesthe desires of our unconscious and conscious minds, implyin g that individuals did not have much control over their behaviors or thoughts. In the early 1900’s, during Watson’s career, the country was recovering from the First World War. American societies were trying to cope with the feelings of loos of control that were brought about by the war. Freud’s idea of human consciousness and uncontrollable thoughts and behaviors did not easily explain any of the traumas that the American people had justRead MoreBiography Of John Watson s Little Albert 2065 Words   |  9 Pagesoff Pavlov’s earlier research, Watson’s experiment â€Å"Little Albert† could be considered one of his greatest psychological advancements in behavioral psychology (Green, 2009). While his controversial experiments did result in moral tensions regarding his research methods, he is still celebrated as an accomplished researcher in the field of psychology (Digdon, Powell, Harris, 2014). Considered by many the founder of behaviorism , John Watson’s works led to further psychological discoveries allowingRead MoreClassical Vs. Classical Conditioning1095 Words   |  5 PagesConditioning is explored by first giving a general definition along with the general phases of basic classical conditioning. Then, more insight is given about the developers of this learning process and their experiments: Ivan Pavlov and his dog experiment and John B. Watson and Little Albert experiment. Finally, real-world applications of this learning process are introduced such as how to treat phobias, addictions and achieve good classroom behavior. Ivan Petrovich Pavlov was born in Russia in 1849.Read MoreEthical Issues Are A Key Part Of Any Psychological Research.1047 Words   |  5 PagesEthical issues are a key part of any psychological research. This refers to the appropriate codes of conduct which should be adhered to in any psychological research. In the past there has been many unethical studies carried out which has raised a variety of questions as to did the end justify the means, is this right? Should it have been done? For instance, Milgram (1963) study into obedience. However, at that moment in time no ethical guidelines were Brocken as they did not exist (Matta, R). ThereforeRead MoreThe Father Of Experimental Psychology Wilhelm Wundt ( 1832-1920 ) And The Founder Of Behaviourism John1548 Words   |  7 Pagesopposing and corresponding views on psychology. In this essay I will compare and contrast both concepts which will include experimental psychology, introspection, operant and classical conditioning, immediat e conscious, objective measurement and lab experiments. Wilhelm Wundt (1832-1920) was a German psychologist who wanted to study and examine human immediate conscious experience using experimental methods in the laboratory and higher mental processes using non-experimental methods (C. James Goodwin,Read MoreJohn B. Watson s Article Summary Essay1765 Words   |  8 Pagesconducted numerous experiments that helped establish a clearer understanding of how the human brain associates response to certain situations. In one of his more famous experiments, Watson tested the conditioned emotional response of a small child. This child, Albert, was eleven months old and was one of â€Å"the most developed youngsters ever brought to the hospital† (Watson, 1). It was noted that he never presented fear in any situation, and rarely ever cried. For this reason, Albert was a strong subject