Answer to Question #239863 in Psychology for CCW

Question

Little Emotional Albert by Watson & Rayner:

3) Identify what researchers were studying?

Answer 1

Watson and graduate student Rosalie Rayner exposed the 9-month-old tot, dubbed

"Albert B," to a white rat and other furry objects, which the baby enjoyed playing with in the

study. Later, while Albert was playing with the white rat, Watson made a loud noise behind the

baby's head. Watson and Rayner reintroduced the animals and furry items without the scary

noise after a series of conditioning trials. The animals and objects that were once a source of joy

and curiosity had become a source of fear as a result of the conditioning.

According to him, the search took them beyond memorization of lectures and textbooks

and, for the first time, into the creative world of psychological research. That was ultimately

more important to them than finding Albert.