Little Albert Experiment

Classical conditioning is a form of learning that is taught to us through experiences we encounter in our lives. It involves outside stimuli to trigger the condition we have learned to expect. For example, the sound of a lunch bell would trigger our stomach to start growling soon after hearing the bell ring. The expectation of food to come soon after hearing the bell and satisfy our hunger is what makes our stomach growl. This is something learned over time. Expectations can be both good and bad. Sometimes these negative experiences cause us to have certain behaviors when we are reminded of such an event.

The theory of Classical Conditioning is one based on the idea that an individual can learn a new form of behavior simply from the process of association. Or simply put according to the Encyclopedia Britannica, “Classical Conditioning occurs when two stimuli are linked together to produce a new learned response” (“Classical,” 2015, para.2). In order to better understand Classical Conditioning, it is important to first define several key terms. A stimulus is any feature of the environment that affects behavior. A response is the behavior elicited by the stimulus (“Stimulus,” 2015, para.1).

Positive reinforcement is rewarding a behavior with a consequence that is pleasant to the recipient in order to encourage the behavior. An example of this in The Breakfast Club

To begin the experiment, Watson and his team started off by questioning if a loud noise would cause a fear reaction. The sound of choice for this part would be a hammer on a suspended steel bar. The first strike of the bar startled the

They did this by banging a steel bar with a hammer. Once again this made Albert very upset and the poor baby started to cry. However, this made Watson and Rayer ready to begin their conditioning experiment with baby Albert. They exposed the baby boy to a series of stimuli. This included a white rat, a monkey and a rabbit to observe the baby boy reaction.

There are countless scenarios in which a young child could develop a classically conditioned fear of bugs. The most well-known example of instilling an emotional response in a child via classical conditioning is the Little Albert experiment. This experiment was Conducted by John B. Watson and his graduate student Rosalie Rayner, and the results were published in the February 1920 issue of the Journal of Experimental Psychology. The study used a subject named Albert who was around 9 months old. They exposed him to various unconditioned stimuli such as a monkey, masks, a white rat, etc. They observed his reactions, then the next time Albert saw the rat, they added a loud noise that caused the child to cry. After numerous times of the rat being shown with

Operant conditioning (sometimes referred to as instrumental conditioning) is a method of learning that occurs through rewards and punishments for behavior. Through operant conditioning, an association is made between a behavior and a consequence for that behavior.

“Classical conditioning is a type of learning in which a stimulus acquires the capacity to evoke a response that was originally evoked by another stimulus”.

Classical conditioning refers to the learning through association. It involves learning a new behavior through the process of association

Classical conditioning is a type of learning in which an organism learns to transfer a natural response from one stimulus to another, previously neutral stimulus. Classical conditioning is achieved by manipulating reflexes. Operant conditioning is a type of learning in which the likelihood of a

Our understanding of classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and observational learning has allowed us to unlock many of the answers we sought to learn about human behavior. Classical conditioning is a technique of behavioral training, coined by Ivan Pavlov, which basically states that an organism learns through establishing associations between different events and stimuli. This helps us understand human behavior in an assortment of ways. It makes it clear that almost everything we do is based on patterns of stimulus and response. For example, if you were bitten aggressively by a dog as a child, you may be still scared of dogs today. That is because the dog caused you pain, which in turn caused you have anxiety towards dogs.

Classical conditioning was described by Pavlov who found that it was possible to condition a reflexive response to a stimulus that didn't evoke this response originally by using a stimulus that evoked a reflexive response. Classical conditioning is the

One example of classical conditioning that I have experienced in my everyday life is my cat’s response to hitting a spoon on a can of cat food. Classical conditioning involves learning a new behavior through the process of association. A new behavior can easily be learned by conditioning a person or pet to respond to a certain stimulus. My cat is a perfect example of classical conditioning that I see every day. Every morning when it is time to feed my cat I walk outside and hit a spoon on the side of her cat food can. As soon as the spoon strikes the can my cat comes running. The unconditioned stimulus is the sound of hitting the spoon on the can, and the unconditioned response is my cat receives food. Now, whenever I hit a can of food with a spoon my cat will come running because she assumes that I am about to feed her. Now that I know what my cat’s response is to the sound I often use it to my advantage. If I want my cat’s attention all I have to do is make the sound and she will come running.

Watson tested Albert with a white rat, a white rabbit, a monkey, a variety of mask, and burning newspaper. This was the neutral stimulus because he showed no fear when presented with these objects. Then he was placed on a mattress with a rat. When he would touch the rat Watson would hit a piece of steel with a hammer. This was the unconditional stimulus. Albert would roll over and cry, now in fear of the rat. He would later be placed on the mattress with a rat again, and would try to crawl away as fast as possible. The rat was considered a

     Classical conditioning refers to a simple form of learning, which occurs through the repeated association of two or more different stimuli. Learning is