Ask AI: Discuss the little albert experiment with a specific real life example

The Little Albert experiment conducted by behaviorist John B. Watson in 1920 is a famous example of classical conditioning. The experiment involved conditioning a nine-month-old infant, named Albert, to learn to fear a white rat. To begin the experiment, Watson placed Albert on one end of a mattress and presented him with a white rat on the other end. At first, Albert showed no fear. After repeatedly pairing the rat with a loud crash of metal behind Albert’s back, however, the infant began to cry whenever the rat was present. Through this conditioning, Albert had learned to fear the rat—even when the crash was absent. To provide a more relatable example, this type of fear conditioning can be seen in many pet owners. When owners introduce a pet to a new environment, they often follow up with a treat or reward to establish an association between the new environment and the reward. This reward often takes the form of a simple pat on the head or verbal praise. Over time, the pet will begin to associate the new environment with positive feelings, and eventually the reward is no longer necessary for the pet to remain calm. This is essentially the same behavior Watson observed with Little Albert and the white rat.