Finding Little Albert

Transcription

1 Finding Little Albert Summary of the Historical Research Conducted by: Hall P. Beck Sharman Levinson Gary Irons American Psychologist October 2009

2 Questions 1. Who was Little Albert? 2. When was he born? 3. Where did he live? 4. Who were his parents? 5. What was his real name? 6. What was inside the trunk? 7. Summary of the Evidence 8. Whatever happened to him?

3 Q1: Who was Little Albert? Albert B. was the subject of John B. Watson s famous study in which Watson wanted to show how fears could be conditioned. Instead of having to refer to unconscious forces to explain fears (i.e., psychoanalysis), Watson wanted to show that fears and phobias could be explained much more simply by applying the conditioning principles established by Pavlov to humans. remains one of the most frequently cited articles in textbook psychology. - Beck, Levinson, and Irons (2009)

4 Q2: When was he born? We don t know the exact date, however: FACT: Albert was first assessed by Watson when he was 8 months and 26 days old FACT: Approximate dates of this first assessment: November 28th to December 12th, THUS: subtracting 8 months and 26 days from this period gives us an approximate birth date of between March 2nd and March 16th. The conditioning studies took place during the winter of at Watson s Infant Laboratory near the Harriet Lane Home.

5 Q3: Where did he live? Albert spent almost his entire first year of life at the Harriet Lane Home for Invalid Children - a pediatric facility on the Johns Hopkins University campus

6 Q4: Who Were His Parents? No notes kept by Watson and Rayner regarding Albert B s parents No patient records from the Harriet Lane Home a census year, but no information regarding a child was found in the census taken at Johns Hopkins His mother was a wet nurse employed at the Harriet Lane Home However: 3 women were listed as being employed as Foster Mothers - this occupational category includes what are commonly called wet nurses

7 Q4: Who Were His Parents? Ethel Carter (black woman) Pearl Barger Arvilla Merritte

8 Q4: Who Were His Parents? Could Pearl Barger be Albert B s mother? Several hundred hours of examining birth, death, census, marriage, and other records yielded no evidence of Pearl s motherhood. We remained open to the possibility that Pearl was a wet nurse. Still, all we had determined was that she lived on campus at the time of the Watson and Rayner (1920) study and probably worked with children. Beck, et al. Pearl Barger Arvilla Merritte

9 Q4: Who Were His Parents? Arvilla Merritte: White, 22 years old Gave birth at Johns Hopkins Hospital to a boy on March 9, 1919 (Watson s Albert born between March 2nd and 16th) Both lived on the campus for the 1st year of their lives (making the boy present for the Watson studies) Arvilla s maiden name: Irons Father: William Merritte: 25 years old No info beyond this Arvilla Merritte Arvilla spent some time at the Baltimore Home For Fallen And Friendless Women before the boy s birth.

10 Q5: What Was His Real Name?

11 Q5: What Was His Real Name? Q: But if his real name was Douglas, why didn t Watson and Rayner refer to the baby as Douglas B. instead of Albert B.? Or Why not Baby A or Subject #5? Good Question A: Watson did many studies with babies at his infant laboratory, but Albert is the only one he refers to by a name. A publicity-generating masterpiece? Giving him a name made him easier to relate to giving him a number would have stolen his warmth, psychologically distancing him from readers - Beck, et al.

12 Q5: What Was His Real Name? Q: Okay, but why Albert B? Why not Albert A or Albert X? Good question. He was named after the Baptist minister John Albert Broadus Interesting fact: Watson and Rayner had two boys: William and James Watson was an admirer of William James Watson s playful use of names Beck, et al. (2009) Watson s middle name: Broadus.

13 Q6: What was inside the trunk? Arvilla died in 1988 at the age of 89 While preparing for her funeral, two photographs were found inside a trunk owned by Arvilla One photograph was of Maurice; the other of Douglas On the back of the photo was the address of the studio where the photo was taken the studio was less than 2 miles from the Harriet Lane Home Would a comparison of the picture of Douglas with the pictures from the video of Albert prove that the two boys were the same?

14 Q6: What was inside the trunk? Enlargements were made from the video Examinations were made of both boys eyebrows, noses, mouths, and chins. The resolution of Albert s photo was too poor to determine where the eye sockets began and ended and in Douglas photo he is wearing a bonnet and you cannot see his ears. A biometric analysis of the two pictures was conducted (a cross-sectional ratio comparison ) Conclusion: one cannot exclude the subject in question as possibly being Albert. There are certainly facial similarities the two photographs could be the same individual

15 Summary of the Evidence Fact: Albert B. born between March 2nd and 16th, 1919 Douglas Merritte born March 9th, 1919 Fact: Albert B. spent his first year on the Johns Hopkins campus Arvilla Merritte was living on the Johns Hopkins campus Fact: Watson stated that Albert s mother was a wet nurse at the Harriet Lane Home Arvilla Merritte worked at the Harriet Lane Home and since she gave birth to Douglas in March she could have been a wet nurse Fact: Albert and Douglas were Caucasian males Based on the photographs there were physical resemblances between the two boys

16 Q7: Whatever Became of Douglas?..I recalled a daydream in which I had envisioned showing a puzzled old man Watson s film of him as a baby. My small fantasy was among the dozens of misconceptions and myths inspired by Douglas. - Beck, et al, p. 612 But Douglas never became an old man After leaving the Harriet Lane Home, the robust child shown in the Watson s (1923) film became sickly - Beck, et al, p. 613 Douglas died developed hydrocephalus and died on May 10th, 1925 at the age of 6. Hydrocephalus, also known as Water on the Brain, is a medical condition. People with hydrocephalus have an abnormal accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the ventricles, or cavities, of the brain. This may cause increased intracranial pressure inside the skull and progressive enlargement of the head, convulsion, and mental disability. Hydrocephalus can also cause death. - Wikipedia

17 Q7: Whatever Became of Douglas? Arvilla is buried in Prospect Cemetery in Maryland Douglas is buried in Locust Grove Cemetery a few miles away near the Church of the Brethern

18 Q7: Whatever Became of Douglas? the little Albert study became a landmark in behavioral psychology. Albert s conditioning helped stimulate a movement that reshaped the conduct and practice of our discipline - Beck, et al, p. 613 As much as Pavlov s dogs, Skinner s pigeons, and Milgram s obedience experiments, the conditioning of Albert is the face of psychology. To many, Little Albert embodies the promise and, to some, the dangers inherent in the scientific study of behavior - Beck, et al, p. 613

19 Finding Little Albert Our search of seven years was longer than the little boy s life. I laid flowers on the grave of my longtime companion, turned, and simultaneously felt a great peace and profound loneliness - Beck, et al, p. 613