What was the aim of Watson and Rayner's 1920 study?

The aim of Watson and Rayner's study in 1920 was to investigate whether a phobia could be created through the principles of classical conditioning. This study is most famously known for the "Little Albert" experiment, where they demonstrated that a young child could be conditioned to fear a white rat by associating it with a loud, frightening noise. The researchers sought to show that emotional responses, such as fear, could be learned rather than innate, which was significant in understanding how phobias could develop through environmental interactions.

The focus on classical conditioning is key, as it highlights how specific stimuli can elicit conditioned emotional responses when paired with unconditioned stimuli, rather than learning grounded in behavior changes through reinforcement, which is outside the scope of their findings.