Džon Broadus Votson (1878-1958) and 'Little Albert': Love as a conditioned emotional reaction

Abstract

A century has passed since the publication of a case study report on the subject of affective conditioning known as "The Little Albert Experiment" (Votson & Rejner, 1920). This study has proven to be of great importance to further development of behaviorism and to the development of modern psychology as a whole, becoming an indispensable part of psychology coursebooks, such as Psychology 101, Developmental Psychology, Psychology of Learning and History of Psychology. The study is closely linked to several turning points in the personal life and professional career of Džon B. Votson (1878 - 1958), the most important representative of an authentically American school of thought called behaviorism. This paper will present these crucial moments both in Votson's life and in the development of modern psychology together with several fundamental themes in the history and historiography of psychology. Firstly, we lay out the contemporary socio-cultural context in the United States and outline the major trends in the development of psychology at the turn of the 20th century. A biographical sketch of J. B. Votson follows, together with the description of tenets of original behaviorism as it was presented and developed in Votson's writings. "The Little Albert Experiment" is presented in detail, as well as the search for "Little Albert"'s identity and his fate as the sole subject of this experiment. Finally, we relate the fates of J. B. Votson and his family, and conclude by giving a brief account of the legacy and influence of behaviorism on contemporary scientific psychology.