In their now classic study, Watson and Rayner conditioned a fear response in a young child named Albert by making a loud noise behind Albert's head as he happily played with a tame laboratory rat. After several trials, the mere sight of the white rat made Albert cry. In this study, the white rat served as the:

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The white rat became the conditioned stimulus because it was a neutral stimulus (the rat) that, after being paired with the unconditioned stimulus (the loud noise), came to elicit a conditioned response (fear or crying) on its own.

In Their Now Classic Study, Watson and Rayner Conditioned a Fear