LITTLE ALBERT

An image from the experiment, as documented in John Watson & Rosalie Rayner’s book:
The Psychological Care of Infant & Child

In 1920, John B. Watson and his graduate student, Rosalie Rayner, did an experiment on their child, Albert. This experiment was part of their psychology research at Johns Hopkins University, and was published in a famous parenting book: The Psychological Care of Infant & Child. Watson and Rayner conditioned Albert to fear rats, and then rabbits, cats, fur hats, and even beards. (Santa Claus was terrifying.) They never de-conditioned him.

Loosely based on the infamous Little Albert experiment, our story starts 15 years later. Albert is a teenager, who is deathly afraid of everything furry. When his parents get an opportunity to speak at the American Psychological Association’s annual conference in Florida, the family goes on a road trip, starting in Baltimore and ending in Hell.

Lyrics by Rachel Conrad
Music by Charlotte Daniels
Book by Conrad & Daniels

Songs from the show:

LIKE A REAL MAN

Performed by Ethan Jih-Cook
at Second Drafts: A Concert at NYU