Practice question · Put in order
Order the steps by which Little Albert came to fear the white rat.
- The white rat is presented and Albert shows no fear (neutral stimulus).
- The rat alone now triggers fear (a conditioned response).
- The loud noise, an unconditioned stimulus, makes Albert cry in fear.
- The rat is repeatedly paired with a sudden loud noise.
Hints
- Before conditioning, the rat is neutral; pairing with the noise is what builds the fear.
- The rat becomes fear-triggering only AFTER being paired with the frightening noise.
Show the answer
- The white rat is presented and Albert shows no fear (neutral stimulus).
- The rat is repeatedly paired with a sudden loud noise.
- The loud noise, an unconditioned stimulus, makes Albert cry in fear.
- The rat alone now triggers fear (a conditioned response).
Why
The rat starts neutral, is paired with a frightening loud noise (the unconditioned stimulus), and eventually triggers fear on its own - a conditioned response. Pairing a neutral stimulus with an unconditioned one is how the conditioned fear forms.
Practise Behaviorism
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