Watson And Rayner Flashcards, test questions and answers
Discover flashcards, test exam answers, and assignments to help you learn more about Watson And Rayner and other subjects. Don’t miss the chance to use them for more effective college education. Use our database of questions and answers on Watson And Rayner and get quick solutions for your test.
What is Watson And Rayner?
When it comes to the field of psychology, few names are as important as Watson and Rayner. John Broadus Watson and Rosalie Rayner were two psychologists whose groundbreaking work in the early 20th century helped lay the foundation for behaviorism, a school of thought that focused on understanding observable behaviors rather than inner psychological processes. Together, Watson and Rayner conducted an experiment involving an 11-month-old boy known only as Little Albert which is now referred to as one of the most famous experiments in psychology history. The experiment was conducted at Johns Hopkins University where Watson was teaching. He and Rayner studied Little Albert’s reactions to various stimuli such as a white rat, a rabbit, a monkey mask and other objects. Initially Little Albert showed no fear when presented with these objects but after several weeks of conditioning he began to show signs of fear when the same items were presented to him. This suggested that humans could be conditioned through classical conditioning this is where a neutral stimulus (the white rat in this case) is paired with an unpleasant experience (a loud noise) until eventually the neutral stimulus alone can elicit fear or another emotional response from an individual (in this case Little Albert). This experiment showed how environment and experience can shape our behavior – something that remains true today; however, there are ethical considerations raised by this study when looked at through modern eyes due to its lack of informed consent from Little Albert or his parents. Despite these criticisms however, it still remains one of the best known studies in psychology due it’s ground-breaking findings about human behaviorism which have been used ever since by many psychologists around the world.