Eleven-month-old "Little Albert" loves furry animals and shows no fear of rats. However, one day while playing with a white rat, he was startled by a loud noise and began to cry. Every time he played with the white rat after that, he heard the same loud noise. Eventually, the sight of the white rat alone made him cry. This illustrates __________.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

In this classic example of classical conditioning, Albert associates the loud noise (a stimulus that evoked a startle response and crying) with a previously neutral stimulus (the white rat). Learning has occurred in that Albert now startles and cries to the previously neutral stimulus (white rat).

Eleven-Month-Old "Little Albert" Loves Furry Animals and Shows No Fear