In the photograph on the left, Little Albert did not display any fear of the white rat before the classical conditioning trials but rather attempted to play with it. However, following the conditioning trials in which the sight of the white rat was paired with an unexpected loud noise, he acquired a fear response to the rat. In the second photograph, he is generalizing this conditioned fear response to a rabbit.
Archives of the History of American Psychology
Courtesy of Professor Benjamin Harris, University of New Hampshire
Courtesy of Professor Benjamin Harris, University of New Hampshire