Psychology majors uncover the case of Little Albert

Lauren Offner

In the 1920s, the fields of psychology and ethics hardly went hand and hand. Little Albert was the main specimen of a classical conditioning experiment that questioned how humans learn the concept of fear. In an effort to train Little Albert to fear white objects, white rats were placed in front of the child while a “bell” was hit repeatedly behind his head to startle him. Soon enough, the child began to fear anything white and furry in texture. This included white rats, bunnies, and even beards. However, the twist in the experiment was that Albert was removed from further studies without being deconditioned. He slipped through the cracks in the process.

The mysterious case of Little Albert displays the opposing topics of psychology and ethics and has raised curiosity in psychology undergraduates at the University of Wisconsin–Stout and people with similar interests. The International Honor Society in Psychology, which is also known as Psi Chi, organized an event featuring a psychologist at the forefront of researching this experiment. Dr. Hall “Skip” Beck of Appalachia University will be speaking at UW–Stout on Thursday, April 4 about his research and revelations on Little Albert.

“(The event) gives students the opportunity to learn more about one of the great mysteries in psychology,” explains Psychology Program Director Kathryn Hamilton.

Through historical research that involves countless hours of searching through files and documents, Beck has developed theories on what may have happened to Little Albert and his conditioned fear throughout his growth period and adult life. Beck will be sharing his theories at Thursday’s event.

“As a student, it will give [us] another spin on what psychological research is,” says Psi Chi President Kaitlyn Olson. “It will give [us] the chance to interact with someone who isn’t from our university. We can do something different and consider it psychological research.”

The question of ethical importance in psychology will also be discussed since Dr. Watson is certainly infamous when discussed in psychology courses at UW–Stout. He was known for having relations with students, and before his passing he burned all of his personal and work papers.

“It’s important for not only students with a psychology major, but the general population as well,” explains Psi Chi Vice President Colin Hargreaves. “It shows us what lasting traumas can do to brains and just how long-term things can be and how influential classical conditioning is. It’s also great for students to see the process of experiments and the ethical dilemmas some experiments can create.”

Whether it’s understanding a different side of research or educating students on how the human mind learns, the Search for Little Albert discussion will satisfy the curiosity of students and faculty across all spectrums of UW–Stout.

Event time: Thursday April 4 from 2:30-4:30 p.m. in the Memorial Student Center Ballrooms.

 

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