Correcting the record on Watson, Rayner, and Little Albert
Albert Barger as “Psychology’s lost boy”
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 13348562 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Russell A Powell (MacEwan University, corresponding author), Nancy Digdon (MacEwan University), Ben Harri (0000-0001-6895-7229, University of New Hampshire), Ben Harris (0000-0001-7840-2825), Christopher Smithson |
| Year | 2014 |
| Volume | 69 |
| Issue | 6 |
| Pages | 600-611 |
| Publication date | 2014-01-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | American Psychologist (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0003-066X • E-ISSN: 1935-990X |
| Publisher | American Psychological Association (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1037/a0036854 |
| PMID | 25197838 |
| OpenAlex | W1981472268 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 9 |
| References cited | 14 |
In 1920, John B. Watson and Rosalie Rayner attempted to condition a phobia in a young infant named "Albert B." In 2009, Beck, Levinson, and Irons proposed that Little Albert, as he is now known, was actually an infant named Douglas Merritte. More recently, Fridlund, Beck, Goldie, and Irons (2012) claimed that Little Albert (Douglas) was neurologically impaired at the time of the experiment. They also alleged that Watson, in a severe breach of ethics, probably knew of Little Albert's condition when selecting him for the study and then fraudulently hid this fact in his published accounts of the case. In this article, we present the discovery of another individual, Albert Barger, who appears to match the characteristics of Little Albert better than Douglas Merritte does. We examine the evidence for Albert Barger as having been Little Albert and, where relevant, contrast it with the evidence for Douglas Merritte. As for the allegations of fraudulent activity by Watson, we offer comments at the end of this article. We also present evidence concerning whether Little Albert (Albert Barger) grew up with the fear of furry animals, as Watson and Rayner speculated he might
Psychoanalysis · Sociology · Watson · Academic and Historical Perspectives in Psychology · Neurology and Historical Studies · Psychology · Psychotherapy Techniques and Applications
Phobias and preparedness
Conditioned emotional reactions.
Ceremonial versus critical history of psychology
Whatever happened to little Albert
In the Balance
J. B. Watson's Little Albert, Cyril Burt's twins, and the need for a critical science
Research notes
Little Albert
Mechanical Man
Finding little Albert
The evidence supports Douglas Merritte as Little Albert
Frequencies of attached and free ear lobes in Lagos (Nigeria)
Letting go of little Albert
The Mental Growth of the Pre-School Child, a Psychological Outline of Normal Development from Birth to the Sixth Year, Including a System of Developmental Diagnosis
| Unique citing works | 9 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,75 |
| Citation span | 2014 - 2026 (13) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 4 |