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John B Watson's Little Albert Experiment

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As Ivan Pavlov once stated, “Don’t become a mere recorder of facts but try to penetrate the mystery of their origin.” This quote captures the principal of the scientific method. To understand the “mysteries” going on around you, can help keep your brain and mind in top condition. There have been many compelling and groundbreaking experiments throughout the history of Psychology and I consider the “Little Albert” experiment to be the most captivating psychological experiments.
Accordingly, the classic case study of “Little Albert” experiment is interesting because the theory applied to humans emotional response during the experiment. The experiment was focused on furthering classical conditioning in humans like dogs could. Also, the experiment …show more content…

Watson (1878-1958). Previously, Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov had conducted experiments to show the conditioning process in dogs. Watson was interested in taking Pavlov’s research forward to show that emotional reactions could be classically conditioned in humans. Moreover, John B. Watson was an American Psychologist who established the psychological school of behaviorism after doing research on animal behavior. Again, he was the conductor of the “Little Albert” experiment (“Early Life”). Watson grew up in Travelers Rest, South Carolina and attended Furman University in Greenville. He entered college at the age of 16 and graduated with a masters degree at the age of 21. Watson put the emphasis on the external behavior of humans and their reactions on given situations, rather than the internal, mental state of those people. In his opinion, the analysis of behaviors and reactions was the only objective method to get insight in the human actions. This outlook, combined with complementary ideas of determinism, evolutionary continuism, and empiricism has provided to what is now radical behaviorism. Watson’s most famous quote states, “Give me a dozen healthy infants, well-formed, and my own specified world to bring them up in and I’ll guarantee to take anyone at random and train him to become any type of specialist I might select—doctor, lawyer, artist, merchant-chief and, yes, even beggar-man and thief, regardless of his talents, penchants, tendencies, abilities, vocations, and race of his ancestors

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