Watson's work with the infant Albert

Watson’s work with the infant Albert demonstrates how human behaviour can not only be influenced, but can also be manipulated. After associating his fear of the loud noise with the animal, the image and the reaction towards it become connected, and we see an example of classical conditioning. The fear of the rat was not there initially, but was created. Because the experiment was done on an infant, as some refer to as a “clean slate”, the situation suggests that the way an individual’s mind works is based on one’s upbringing, or community, specifically in the very first few years of the child’s life. The point made is that human behaviour can be controlled, through association and memory, and through a person’s surroundings and how they affect a person’s actions.