Little Albert was the subject of an experiment conducted by John Watson and Rosalie Rayner. They conditioned him to fear white, furry objects by pairing them with a loud noise, creating a phobia-like response.
Related terms
Phobia: An intense and irrational fear or aversion towards specific objects or situations.
Stimulus generalization: The tendency for a conditioned response to occur in response to stimuli similar to the original conditioned stimulus.
Operant conditioning: A type of learning where behavior is strengthened or weakened based on its consequences.