Classical Conditioning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Classical Conditioning - Essay Example He developed a phobia not only for the mouse, but for all white things (CR). He developed a generalization phobia of all things white. This was because Little Albert had not reached the correct form of thinking that is hypothesized by developmental psychologists such as Piaget. Therefore, he began to fear everything that was white. The one fundamental concept about classical conditioning is the idea behind repetition and reinforcement. If the relationship between response and stimulus is not maintained, then extinction occurs. When extinction occurs, the relationship between the stimulus and response is lost. In this case, Little Albert would not associate the loud noise and fear with things that were white. This research study could not be done today due to ethical concerns. This is because it is causing psychological harm to the individual. Especially at a young age, there are rules that the APA, American Psychological Association, has in place which prohibit experimentation on chi ldren without parental consent as well as a wide variety of other restrictions. The only way in which this experiment could possibly be replicated is if there was therapy and techniques given at the debriefing of the experiment, which would ease or get rid of any/all effects from the experiment.