The Little Albert Experiment has become a widely known case study that is continually discussed by a large number of psychology professionals. In 1920, behaviorist John Watson and his assistant Rosalie Rayner began conducting one of the first experiments with a child. Stability played an important factor in choosing Albert for this case study, as Watson wanted to ensure that they would cause as little damage as possible during the experiment. The method Watson chose for this experiment was to use the principles of classical conditioning to create a stimulus in children that caused fear. Because Watson wanted to condition Albert, a variety of objects were used that otherwise would not have frightened him. These items included a white mouse, blocks, a rabbit, a dog, a fur coat, wool, and a Santa Claus mask. Albert's conditioning began with a series of emotional tests that became part of a routine in which Watson and Rayner determined whether other stimuli could cause fear. Watson and his team opened the experiment by asking whether a loud noise would cause a fear reaction. A hammer hitting a steel bar was a sudden sound that made Albert throw his hands in the air. At the third and final blow the child was crying; this was the first time that an emotional state (in the laboratory) produced fear, causing Albert to cry. The sound conditioning led Watson and his team to wonder if they could condition an emotion while presenting a white mouse to the child at the same time as hitting the steel bar. The first time the mouse was introduced to Albert, he began to catch it; as soon as he touched the mouse, the bar was struck. This affected Albert causing him not to cry, but to show signs of distress. After a week's break from the experiment, Al...... middle of paper ......u.edu/ahmada/3%20Courses/6%20Experimental/Notes/Rese arch%20With%20Animals%20in%20Psychology . pdf Bartlett, T. (2012, January 25). A new twist in the sad saga of little Albert – Percolator - Blog - The Chronicle of Higher Education [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://chroni cle.com/blogs/percolator/a-new-twist-in-the-sad-saga-of-little-albert/28423 Feist, G. J., & Rosenberg, E. L. (2012). Learning. In Psychology: Perspectives and Connections (2nd ed., p. 310). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Higher Education. Greene, A. (2008, July 30). Why babies suck their thumbs. Retrieved April 17, 2014, from http://www.drgreene.com/qa-articles/infants-suck-thumbs/Watson, J.B. (1920). Conditioned emotional reactions. The American Psychologist, 55(3), 313-317. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.southuniversity.libproxy.edmc.edu/docview/614340972/fulltextPDF?accountid=87314