Animal Conditioning Case Study

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By the time he was 11 months old they conducted studies such as taking the white rat out the basket and observing his emotional response. He tried to reach for the rat and did not show any sign of fear. However, when they struck the steel bar as he was about to touch the rat Albert jumped and fell. He attempted to reach the rat with his other hand and they struck the bar once again. He jumped again and fell like last time but did not cry both times. After a week, when the rat was presented again, Albert no longer tried to reach out for it. When his hand was about to touch the rat, he immediately withdrew his hand suddenly before contact. Albert was tested with his blocks to see if it shared in the process of conditioning. He played well with …show more content…

All the previous tests were done on a table with a mattress in a dark room with a little light. They showed the rabbit and dog with the sound of steel bar striking to freshen up Albert’s reaction before they tested again in a different environment. After he was taken to a brighter and bigger room while four adults were present, his reactions towards all animals got a little more positive but however, there was still slight bit of negative response. The dog suddenly barked which triggered a negative reaction and marked fear response in Albert while he was in that room. This part of the study showed that conditioned responses transfers even in different environments. Unfortunately Little Albert was removed from the hospital right after these tests were done so Watson did not get a chance to test methods of detachment of the conditioned response. He did however come up with several methods he would have tried on Albert like confronting him with what triggered his response continuously. Watson (2000) stated specifically, “By trying to "recondition" by showing objects calling out fear responses (vsual [sic]) and simultaneously stimulating the erogenous zones (tactual). We should try first the lips, then the nipples and as a final resort the sex organs” (p. 316). The other method he would have used would be to give Albert candy or food as the animal was shown to recondition his

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