The Little Albert Experiment and the Legacy of John B. Watson

John B. Watson, a prominent behaviorist, claimed he could shape infants into any profession through conditioning, regardless of their background. He demonstrated this with the Little Albert experiment, conditioning a baby to fear a rat. Watson believed behavior was a result of environmental factors, not genetics, and applied these ideas to child-rearing, advising emotional distance. His methods influenced parenting practices, but his own children suffered, leading him to regret his advice. Watson's work emphasized behaviorism's role in psychology, focusing on observable actions over thoughts.

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