Critique
A detailed review of the original study and its subsequent interpretations by Harris (1979) stated:
Critical reading of Watson and Rayner's (1920) report reveals little evidence either that Albert developed a rat phobia or even that animals consistently evoked his fear (or anxiety) during Watson and Rayner's experiment.It may be useful for modern learning theorists to see how the Albert study prompted subsequent research but it seems time, finally, to place the Watson and Rayner data in the category of "interesting but uninterpretable" results.
It was also found that most textbooks "suffer from inaccuracies of various degrees" while referring to Watson and Rayner's study. Texts often misrepresent and maximize the range of Albert's post-conditioning fears.
According to some textbooks, Albert's mother worked in the same building as Watson and didn't know the tests were being conducted. When she found out, she took Albert and moved away, letting no one know where they were going. A 2009 report claims that none of these and other fanciful tales about Little Albert were true.
Read more about this topic: Little Albert Experiment
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