The Search for 'Little Albert'

18/08/2025 11 min
The Search for 'Little Albert'

Listen "The Search for 'Little Albert'"

Episode Synopsis

In 1919–1920, Johns Hopkins psychologist John B. Watson conducted the now-infamous "Little Albert" experiment to show that fear could be conditioned in humans, pairing a loud noise with a white rat until the infant subject, nicknamed Albert, reacted with distress to the rat and other furry objects. While the study became a classic example in psychology textbooks, it was deeply flawed: it involved only one child, lacked proper controls, and offered no deconditioning to reverse the fear. More importantly, Albert's identity remained a mystery for decades - or, not.  DON'T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE AND LEAVE A RATING OR A REVIEW! THANK YOU IN ADVANCE!   SUPPORT THE SHOW: https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcast ADVERTISE: https://www.historyshortspodcast.com/advertise  LEARN MORE: https://www.historyshortspodcast.com/ EPISODE SPONSOR: https://www.podcastrepublic.net/get-it-now