Experimento Conductista: Watson y el pequeño Albert (en español)

Summary

The video explains John B. Watson’s behaviorist view that psychology should study observable, learned behavior. Watson rejected explanations based mainly on inherited traits or instincts and emphasized how conditioning and the environment could shape behavior.

The Little Albert Experiment

• In 1920, Watson and his assistant Rosal Reiner worked with an eight-month-old baby known as Little Albert.
• Albert initially liked a white mouse and was not afraid of it.
• Each time the mouse was presented, the researchers made a loud noise that startled him.
• After repeated pairings, Albert became frightened by the mouse alone. The video describes this as classical conditioning: a learned emotional response formed by associating one stimulus with another.
• Albert’s fear then spread to other similar or furry objects, including a rabbit, dog, fur coat, and mask. This is generalization—a learned response extending to related stimuli.
• The video also describes Albert crawling away from the mouse to a safe place as instrumental conditioning: the escape was rewarded by reducing his fear.

Significance and Ethics

• The experiment was controversial because it deliberately caused fear in a baby. The video notes that strict research ethics rules would prevent a study of this kind today.
• It says that Mary Coker Jones, a member of Watson’s team, later developed techniques to reduce fears acquired through conditioning in adolescents, and calls her the first behavioral therapist.
• The fate of Little Albert remains unknown, according to the video.

Speakers and Sources Featured

• Unnamed narrator — explains behaviorism and describes the experiment.
• John B. Watson — the psychologist whose ideas and experiment are discussed.
• Rosal Reiner — identified in the subtitles as Watson’s assistant.
• Mary Coker Jones — identified in the subtitles as a member of Watson’s team who developed fear-reduction techniques.
• Little Albert — the infant participant discussed in the video.