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Psychology
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Little Albert and Classical Conditioning Psychology Essay

Essay Instructions:

There have been several classic experiments to study and describe classical conditioning; one of the more famous is the Little Albert experiment. Over the years, the experiment has lost some of its validity due to numerous interpretations by several introductory psychology textbooks. It is, therefore, beneficial to go back to the original (or primary) source and read what the authors of the experiment themselves had to say.
The original article by Watson and Rayner was published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology in 1920. Here is the reference for the article reprint: Watson, J. B., & Rayner, R. (2000). Conditioned Emotional Reactions. American Psychologist, 55(3), 313-317. DOI: https://doi(dot)org/10.1037//0003-066x.55.3.313
Read the article and answer the following questions:
• In the study, what are unconditioned stimulus (US), conditioned stimulus (CS), and conditioned response (CR)?
• Explain the concept of generalization in regards to Watson and Rayner's ability to condition Albert to react to different stimuli such as masks, other animals, and a fur coat?
• Using examples from the study, explain the concept of extinction.
• Make sure you cite the article (see above for reference) you read as well as the textbook (used to explain classical conditioning).
• Cite your sources on a separate page using the APA format.

Essay Sample Content Preview:

Little Albert and Classical Conditioning
Name Course Instructor Date
• In the study, what are unconditioned stimulus (US), conditioned stimulus (CS), and conditioned response (CR)?
An unconditioned stimulus (US) is associated with certain physical-emotional response and occurs naturally. The unconditioned stimulus in the Little Albert experiment is the loud noise from hitting the bar that is thought would frighten the infant and would then bring the conditional response of fear. The conditioned stimulus (CS) in the experiment is the white rat and CS is a form of substitute stimulus. However, the rat was at first a neutral stimulus as there was no fear response. The conditioned response (CR) was fear as this was a learned response when he was shown the white rat and occurred when there was an unconditioned stimulus.• Explain the concept of generalization in regards to Watson and Rayner's ability to condition Albert to react to different stimuli such as masks, other animals, and a fur coat?
Generalization refers to the process through which the conditioned response (CR) spreads or becomes generalized and is elicited by the conditioned stimul...
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