My assumption was that the name was a reference to the case of
Little Hans, also. Note that the Watson & Rayner (1920) article
ends with a discussion of how a Freudian would try to explain
Albert's fear as coming from a sexual event.
Here is the next to last paragraph of Watson & Rayner --
"The Freudians twenty years from now, unless their hypotheses
change, when they come to analyze Albert's fear of a seal skin
coat - assuming that he comes to analysis at that age - will
probably tease from him the recital of a dream which upon their
analysis will show that Albert at three years of age attempted to
play with the pubic hair of the mother and was scolded violently
for it. (We are by no means denying that this might in some other
case condition it). If the analyst has sufficiently prepared
Albert to accept such a dream when found as an explanation of his
avoiding tendencies, and if the analyst has the authority and
personality to put it over, Albert may be fully convinced that
the dream was a true revealer of the factors which brought about
the fear."
Ken
---------------------------------------------------------------
Kenneth M. Steele, Ph.D. [email protected]
Professor
Department of Psychology http://www.psych.appstate.edu
Appalachian State University
Boone, NC 28608
USA
---------------------------------------------------------------
Lilienfeld, Scott O wrote:
Michael - I'll leave that interesting question to the historians on this
listserv, but I'll advance one hypothesis (maybe others can confirm or refute):
Perhaps Watson was trying to counterpose his case against Freud's Little Hans
case of a phobia supposedly acquired through psychoanalytic mechanisms.
...Scott
Scott O. Lilienfeld, Ph.D.
Professor
Editor, Scientific Review of Mental Health Practice
Department of Psychology, Room 473 Psychology and Interdisciplinary Sciences
(PAIS)
Emory University
36 Eagle Row
Atlanta, Georgia 30322
[email protected]
(404) 727-1125
Psychology Today Blog:
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-skeptical-psychologist
50 Great Myths of Popular Psychology:
http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-140513111X.html
Scientific American Mind: Facts and Fictions in Mental Health Column:
http://www.scientificamerican.com/sciammind/
The Master in the Art of Living makes little distinction between his work and
his play,
his labor and his leisure, his mind and his body, his education and his
recreation,
his love and his intellectual passions. He hardly knows which is which.
He simply pursues his vision of excellence in whatever he does,
leaving others to decide whether he is working or playing.
To him - he is always doing both.
- Zen Buddhist text
(slightly modified)
-----Original Message-----
From: Britt, Michael [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Wednesday, December 16, 2009 8:56 AM
To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS)
Subject: [tips] Who put the "Little" in "Little Albert"?
I've been preparing an episode in which I'll be reviewing Hall Beck's
recent article, "Finding Little Albert" which recently appeared in the
American Psychologist and I asked Dr. Beck who is responsible
inserting the word "Little" in front of "Albert". His research
didn't turn up an answer to this question. Anyone have any ideas on
where the "Little" came from?
Michael
Michael Britt
[email protected]
www.thepsychfiles.com
Twitter: mbritt
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