Watson’s alleged Little Albert scandal: historical breakthrough or new Watson myth?

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Title

Watson’s alleged Little Albert scandal: historical breakthrough or new Watson myth?

Author(s) or Creator(s)
Digdon, Nancy
Powell, Russ
Smithson, Christopher
Date

2014

Peer Reviewed?

Yes

Keywords

John B. Watson
Little Albert
behaviorism

Description

John B. Watson’s legacy is complicated by his reputation for scandal. Recently, Fridlund, Beck, and colleagues accused Watson of a new scandal concerning the 1920 Little Albert study. Hey argued that Little Albert was a neurologically impaired infant (named Douglas Merritte), and that Watson committed serious ethical breaches in relation to this study. Our paper shows that this alleged scandal is likely unfounded. We introduce a normal infant (Albert Barger) who matches the Little Albert proKle better than Douglas Merritte does. In our conclusion, we speculate about how the story of a neurologically impaired Albert illustrates some of the challenges involved in historical revision.

Publication Information

Digdon, N., Powell, R. A., & Smithson, C. (2014). John B. Watson`s alleged scandal: Historical breakthrough or new Watson myth. Revista de Historia de la Psicologia, 35, 47-60.

Type of Item

Journal Articles

Language

English

Location

https://roam.macewan.ca/islandora/object/gm:2626

Rights

Attribution No Derivatives (CC BY-ND)

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