The Experiment On Little Albert: The Lost Son Of Psychology

The experiment on little Albert is one of the most confusing and controversial stories in the history of psychology. It was performed by John B. Watson, who is considered by many to be the father of behaviorism. In general, he suggested that one could shape human behavior in relation to stimuli and response.

What behaviorism pointed out is basically that one can shape or “train” human behavior. Unlike other schools, behaviorists believed that the joy of an elderly person in China is exactly the same as that of a baby from Mexico. It has nothing to do with what happens internally, as the observed behavior is what matters.

To test his basic hypothesis, John B. Watson decided to perform a series of experiments. The most famous of them was that of little Albert, a 9-month-old baby. After Watson’s tests, he had no idea what happened to the little child. But some researchers decided to find out what happened to him, and the result was very surprising.

The experiment on little Albert

Before we mention what happened to “Albert” and Watson, we should quickly mention what the experiment on little Albert meant. According to what Watson has said in his notes, the boy was the son of a nurse in an orphanage. He was selected for the experiment due to his calm temperament and somewhat indifferent character and response to external stimuli. 

What Watson did was expose the child to various stimuli. A monkey, a white rat, burning paper, and so on. When the child was shown these things, he was mindful, but basically emotionally indifferent to them. He showed only a certain curiosity.

Watson later introduced other stimuli as well. Each time the white rat appeared, he pounded with an iron rod to make a thunderous sound that frightened the child. Thus the boy began to associate the sound with the rat, and after a while he became frightened when he saw the animal. Then the child began to fear rabbits and other small animals.

After the experiment on little Albert: What happened to him?

The experiment on little Albert allowed Watson to prove that one can shape behavior through stimuli. In his notes, he said he stopped the experiment because the boy was adopted. But it was never clear whether the fear remained with him or not after the experiment.

Eventually , some researchers became interested in finding out what had happened to little Albert. One of those who was interested in finding out the truth was psychologist Hall Beck. He used Watson’s notes and other documents, and found the boy. In 2009, he published his conclusions.

In these he pointed out that “Albert” was in fact Douglas Merritte, a child who had suffered from hydrocephalus (formerly called a water head) from birth, and died at the age of six. These findings questioned Watson’s work and made this experiment somewhat more unpleasant, as he had used a disabled child to prove his theory.

Other hypotheses and more questions

Another psychologist, Russell A. Powell of Grand McEwan University in Canada, questioned Beck’s conclusions. He also started his own research, and in 2012 he published his conclusions. According to him, little Albert was actually William Albert Barger, a normal child who lived a healthy life and died at the age of 88. He also disliked animals.

Both Beck and Powell’s hypotheses are very solid, but not conclusive. To try to reach some kind of conclusion, researcher Tom Bartlett published a new article in June 2014, in which he concluded that both children had participated in the experiment.

The whole problem is really a debate about the validity of behaviorism, a psychological approach that has been heavily criticized for its reductionism. One can also attribute a certain aversion to John Watson himself. This man was criticized for divorcing his wife after an affair with Rosalie Rayner, a student who worked as his assistant.

John Watson was expelled from behaviorism, and they revoked his academic degrees. He had two children with Rayner, whom they raised in a strict, behaviorist manner. Both children tried to commit suicide when they became adults, and the eldest, William, succeeded. 

In the 1950s, all of Watson’s academic qualifications were restored, but by then he had already focused on another area of ​​interest: Advertising.