What happened to the Little Albert baby?
A life cut short. Douglas was born on the same day as Albert and several other points tallied with Watson's notes. Tragically, medical records showed that Douglas had severe neurological problems and died at an early age of hydrocephalus, or water on the brain.
Who is the real Little Albert?
“Little Albert,” the baby behind John Watson's famous 1920 emotional conditioning experiment at Johns Hopkins University, has been identified as Douglas Merritte, the son of a wetnurse named Arvilla Merritte who lived and worked at a campus hospital at the time of the experiment — receiving $1 for her baby's …
How long did baby Albert live?
In contrast with Douglas Merritte, William Albert Barger/Martin was a robust, healthy boy, just like Watson reported, and he went on to live a long life, dying in 2007 at the age of 87.
What happened in the baby Albert experiment?
The Little Albert Experiment demonstrated that classical conditioning could be used to create a phobia. A phobia is an irrational fear, that is out of proportion to the danger. In this experiment, a previously unafraid baby was conditioned to become afraid of a rat.
Did Little Albert have parents?
Douglas' mother, Arvilla, resided on the Hopkins campus on 2 January 1920. – Watson and Rayner tell us that Albert's mother was employed at the Harriet Lane Home. According to family history, Arvilla worked at the Harriet Lane Home. – Albert's mother was a wet nurse.
What did John Watson do to Little Albert?
Albert was a 9-month-old baby who had not previously demonstrated any fear of rats. In the beginning of the experiment, when Albert was 11 months old, John Watson placed a rat (in addition to some other animals and objects with fur) on the table in front of Albert, who reacted with curiosity and no sign of fear.
Why was Little Albert removed from the experiment?
Watson had originally planned to decondition Albert out of his fear of rats, in order to demonstrate that conditioned fears could be eliminated. Albert was removed from the experiment by his mother prior to this happening, which means that the experiment left a child with a fear that he did not previously had.
How old was Little Albert during the experiment?
When Little Albert was 9 months old, Watson and Rayner exposed him to a series of stimuli including a white rat, a rabbit, a monkey, masks, and burning newspapers and observed the boy's reactions.
Why was Little Albert removed from the study?
Watson had originally planned to decondition Albert to the stimulus, demonstrating that conditioned fears could be eliminated. However, Albert was removed from the experiment before this could happen, and thus Watson created a child with a previously nonexistent fear.
What is the case of Little Albert?
The Little Albert Experiment demonstrated that classical conditioning—the association of a particular stimulus or behavior with an unrelated stimulus or behavior—works in human beings. In this experiment, a previously unafraid baby was conditioned to become afraid of a rat.