The identity of Watson’s young test subject, known as Little Albert, has intrigued many people for years. While Watson never shared his real name, researchers have worked to uncover this mystery.
In 2009, psychologists Hall P. Beck and Sharman Levinson went through public records and consulted with facial recognition experts to find out who Little Albert was. They suggested that he might have been Douglas Merritte, whose mother worked as a wet nurse at the Harriet Lane Home.
To further investigate, they collaborated with Gary Irons, a relative of Douglas, who accessed Douglas’s medical records from Johns Hopkins. Sadly, Douglas passed away as a young child due to hydrocephalus, a condition characterized by fluid buildup in the brain.
Although Watson described Little Albert as a healthy baby, Dr. Fridlund noticed some concerning signs while reviewing the footage of the experiment. He pointed out that Albert appeared unusually large-headed and short for his age, which could indicate health issues. In the four minutes of film featuring Albert, he did not display a single social smile, which is unusual for babies his age, who typically begin social smiling by six months and seek more social interaction by nine months.
Dr. Fridlund also remarked on Albert’s lack of reaction to various stimuli, including playful animals and loud noises. He stated, “Despite being shown an Airedale dog and other exciting things, Albert did not look to either Watson or Rayner for reassurance. Normally, infants seek comfort from caregivers when they encounter something perceived as threatening.”
This unusual behavior could suggest that Albert had neurological impairments like hydrocephalus, which is often present at birth. Watson and Rayner even described Albert as “extremely phlegmatic,” prompting them to choose him for their fear conditioning study. Their findings were later published by Fridlund, Beck, Irons, and pediatric neurologist William Goldie, highlighting how a child with neurological issues may respond differently to external stimuli.
Meanwhile, another team of Canadian researchers, including Russ Powell, Nancy Digdon, and Ben Harris, found an infant named William Albert Barger. His mother, like Douglas Merritte’s, was also a wet nurse at the Harriet Lane Home. William’s birth date matched that of Little Albert, and his weight records were consistent with Little Albert’s as well. In 2014, they published research indicating that Barger, unlike Merritte, lived into his late eighties.
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