Final answer:
The "Little Albert" experiment by Watson and Rayner highlighted the possibility of classically conditioning an emotional response (fear) in a human to a previously neutral stimulus (a white rat), (option c) analogous to Pavlov's conditioning of dogs to salivate to a bell.
Step-by-step explanation:
The famous "Little Albert" study conducted by John Watson and Rosalie Rayner demonstrated that it was possible to classically condition an emotional reaction to a previously neutral stimulus. In this experiment, a white rat initially introduced to Little Albert as a neutral stimulus (NS) did not elicit fear. After the process of classical conditioning, where a loud noise (unconditioned stimulus or UCS) which naturally caused Little Albert to cry (unconditioned response or UCR), was paired with the white rat, the rat transformed into a conditioned stimulus (CS). Eventually, the sight of the rat alone caused Little Albert to exhibit a fear response (conditioned response or CR). This study provided evidence against the belief that all emotional reactions are inborn and suggested the possibility that emotions could become conditioned responses.
Classic Pavlovian conditioning was evident in this experiment's methodology, mirroring Pavlov’s earlier work with dogs. In Pavlov's famous experiment, he conditioned dogs to salivate (a normally unconditioned response to food) to the sound of a bell (conditioned stimulus) after the bell was repeatedly paired with food. Similarly, Watson and Rayner's conditioning of Little Albert to fear the white rat demonstrates classical conditioning principles. John Watson believed that the same principles could be applied to the conditioning of human emotions, not just reflexes, as shown with Pavlov's dogs.