The controversial experiment with Little Albert was conducted to study conditioning of fear responses by which psychologist?

The controversial experiment with Little Albert was conducted to study conditioning of fear responses by which psychologist?

• A. Skinner
• B. Watson
• C. Pavlov
• D. Thorndike

Answer: (B)

This question tests who conducted the Little Albert experiment and what learning process it demonstrated. The study, led by John B. Watson, showed classical conditioning in a human infant by pairing a neutral stimulus (a white rat) with a loud, aversive noise, which eventually caused the child to fear the rat and similar furry objects. This work is emblematic of Watson’s behaviorist emphasis on observable behavior and learning through associations. The other psychologists are linked to different learning ideas: Skinner to operant conditioning and learning from consequences, Pavlov to classical conditioning in dogs but not in a fear context with humans, and Thorndike to the Law of Effect using puzzle-box experiments with cats. So Watson is the best answer because the Little Albert study specifically exemplifies conditioning of fear responses in a human child.

This question tests who conducted the Little Albert experiment and what learning process it demonstrated. The study, led by John B. Watson, showed classical conditioning in a human infant by pairing a neutral stimulus (a white rat) with a loud, aversive noise, which eventually caused the child to fear the rat and similar furry objects. This work is emblematic of Watson’s behaviorist emphasis on observable behavior and learning through associations. The other psychologists are linked to different learning ideas: Skinner to operant conditioning and learning from consequences, Pavlov to classical conditioning in dogs but not in a fear context with humans, and Thorndike to the Law of Effect using puzzle-box experiments with cats. So Watson is the best answer because the Little Albert study specifically exemplifies conditioning of fear responses in a human child.