The Little Albert Experiment | Psychology is Nuts

The history of psychology is rife with frightening tales of unethical experiments. The 1919 case of Little Albert is particularly disturbing. Josh fills you in on the dark origins of one of the major breakthroughs in behavioral psychology.

[LuukPlasmeyer]

You, sir, take awkward acting to a whole new level. A level of cheesiness that is!

[jader]

Sir, blink three times if you're okay. Blink four times if you want the police to come over. I'll call them for you.

[brandoncorrea]

When you have to give a speech in front of the class and don't k own what to do with your arms

[hightidesmrforeverthemoon]

The little Albert experiment deeply saddens me to this day. It was a horrible experiment! What's worse is that he died at six years of age!

[isabell.]

omg i'm sorry but it was so exhausting to watch this

[Pros]

Heartbreaking to see the baby so scared :(

[LeroyDogg]

What is this, a video for 6 year old kids?

[RG-]

The idea of the program is great, the way to present it no so much, it's just very dificult to watch lol.

[shaemaali]

i cant believe it took me a video of a man that sounds like he is held hostage speak to me like a i'm a child for me to understand the concept of this experiment.

[vaishnavip]

i watched this in 1.25X and it was still so hard to watch

[headaig]

Thanks for the video Josh! I really laugh at the goofy way you tell me about stuff I should know. Psychology IS nuts!

[necronlordoflawtan]

As a side note, one could say that if certain sounds and other senses one responds negatively to, then one is born with fear (which is often in that case healthy - as something like a loud sudden noise is potentially damaging to the ears and tends to represent something threatening. This is more "Pavlov's Human" than "fear is learned.")

And as another note, this is a wonderful example of both how young science as a humane discipline is and how many scientists have made mistakes (and apathetically acted in terrible ways) in the past pursuing philosophical goals.

[pizdanpula]

who gives the right for one person to abuse another ?
the doctors and psychologists should have been behind bars according to a democratic constitution, this was a penal act and considered torture

[shaedevereaux]

Dr. Watson didn’t get to desensitize Albert because Albert was taken away, not because Dr. Watson ran away. The original article published by Watson and Rayner quotes “IV. "Detachment" or removal of conditioned emotional responses. Unfortunately Albert was taken from the hospital the day the above tests were made. Hence the
opportunity of building up an experimental technique by means of which we could remove the conditioned emotional responses was denied us.”

[toastsandwich]

for better or worse (probably better), you can't do crazy shit like this today for science

[allisonfernandez]

Good... But you make it seem like "Albert" was never cured through extinction because of the experimenters. I was under the impression his mother moved, taking "Albert" along with her, which didn't allow the completion of the experiment.

[a.mckenny]

Good job explaining this case for younger students.

[MontyRidds]

Correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t baby Albert’s mother use her right to withdraw before Watson was able to desensitise Albert?

[harukasaiji]

Woah, even that acting is somekind cringy, but I love how you summarize it that even dumb people can fully understand :). Not offensive, more like I'm amazed.

[hopefulhearted]

wasnt the fear of the bang noise unconditioned? and then he just learned to associate that fear with different objects?