Finding Little Albert: Adventures in Our Journey to Watson’s Infant Laboratory

What Was Known: Watson’s Writings

Albert ?

1. Mother worked in the Harriet Lane Home.

2. Mother was a wet nurse.

3. Albert was first tested at 8 mo 26 days, last tested at 12 mo 21 days of age.

4. Study conducted in the winter of 1919-1920.

5. Albert lived almost his entire first year at the Harriet Lane Home.

6. Albert was a male

What We Learned: Additional Discoveries

Albert ?

1. Appears to be Caucasian.

2. Film shows baseline (8 mo 26 days of age).

3. Film, letters, and Watson’s correspondence indicate baseline occurred between Nov. 28 and Dec. 12, 1919.

4. Albert was born between March 2 and March 16, 1919.

5. Probably no more than 4 wet nurses concurrently resided in the Harriet Lane Home.

The Hard Part: Finding An Individual Who Matched These Attributes

1. No employee records

2. No patient records.

3. Watson burned his papers shortly before his death.

The Hard Part: Finding An Individual Who Matched These Attributes

1. No employee records

2. No patient records.

3. Watson burned his papers shortly before his death.

4. Census

To Find Albert You Must Go To Granada

Sharman

Three Hopkins Foster Mothers And A Grandson

Pearl Barger

Ethel Carter

Arvilla Merritte

Gary

Why Call The Baby Albert B. ?A Very Good SEPA Story

1. Brewer’s John Albert Broadus hypothesis.

2. Rosalie and John’s two sons were named William and James.

Landmarks in Arvilla Irons Merritte’s Life

1898: Born in New Jersey. Moved to Virginia early 20th century.

1915: Maurice Irons born.

1919: Douglas Merritte born. Arvilla works at the Harriet Lane Home.

Early 1920s: Arvilla and Douglas move in with Brashears.

1926: Arvilla marries Wilbur Hood

1939: Gwendolyn born.

1988: Arvilla dies at 89 years of age.

Albert

Figure 1. Close-up of Albert on the right, he is 8 months and 26 days of age. Possibilities of a confirmatory and disconfirmatory analyses.

Douglas-Albert

Figure 1. Close-up of Douglas on the left, his age is unknown. Close-up of Albert on the right, he is 8 months and 26 days of age.

What Is Known: Watson’s Writing

Albert Douglas

1. Mother lived on the Hopkins campus at the time of the study.

1. Arvilla lived on the Hopkins campus at the time of the study.

2. Mother was a wet nurse. 2. Douglas was born on March 9, 1919 so Arvilla could have been a wet nurse.

3. Mother worked in the Harriet Lane Home.

3. Arvilla worked at the Harriet Lane Home.

4. Study conducted in the winter of 1919-1920.

4. Arvilla was on campus at the time of the study.

5. Albert lived almost his entire first year at the Harriet Lane Home.

5. Douglas probably lived almost his entire first year at the Harriet Lane Home.

6. Male 6. Male

What Is Known: Additional Discoveries

Albert Douglas

1. Appears to be Caucasian. 1. Douglas was Caucasian.

2. Film, letters, and Watson’s writings indicate baseline occurred between Nov. 28 and Dec. 12, 1919.

2. Douglas was probably on campus between Nov. 28 and Dec. 12, 1919.

3. Albert was born between March 2 and March 16, 1919.

3. Douglas was born on March 9, 1919.

There is a physical resemblance between Albert and Douglas

Epilogue To A Quest

Epilogue To A Quest

For Additional Information About Albert-Douglas

Harris, B. (1979). Whatever happened to little Albert? American Psychologist, 34, 151‑160.

Beck, H. P., Levinson, S. & Irons, G. (2009). Finding Little Albert: A journey to John B. Watson’s infant laboratory, 64, 605-614.

http://www.thepsychfiles.com/2010/01/episode-114-video-finding-little-albert/