Rosalie Rayner

Rosalie Alberta Rayner (September 25, 1898 – June 18, 1935) was an undergraduate psychology student, then research assistant (and later wife) of Johns Hopkins University psychology professor John B. Watson, with whom she carried out the study of a baby later known as "Little Albert." In the 1920s, she published essays and co-authored articles and a book with Watson about child development and familial bonds.

Early life Rayner was born in Baltimore, Maryland, on September 25, 1898. Her father and grandfather, Albert William Rayner and William Solomon Rayner, respectively, were successful businessmen. Her mother, Rebecca Selner Rayner, and father had one other daughter, Evelyn. Albert William Rayner made a living dealing with railroads, mining, and shipbuilding. The Rayner family also supported Johns Hopkins University, to which they contributed $10,000 toward research. Rayner's uncle, Isidor Rayner, was also a prominent public figure. Isidor worked as a senator in Maryland and managed public inquiries into the sinking of the Titanic, in addition to serving as Attorney General of Maryland for four years.

Education Rosalie Rayner continued her education at Vassar College in New York, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1919. Upon graduation, Rayner enrolled at Johns Hopkins University but failed to take any classes. She was hired as an assistant to John B. Watson, who is best known for pioneering the approach to behaviorism. Behaviorism is a term that Watson introduced into the field of psychology to describe the goal of predicting and controlling observable behaviors.

Research career Rayner and Watson aimed to make family life reflect an empirical environment, based on the belief that behaviors were not hardwired at birth, but instead were acquired through conditioning. The results of the study were published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology. Despite its prominence, the "Little Albert" study would be deemed highly unethical by modern standards.

Rayner also contributed to a how-to book called Psychological Care of Infant and Child.

Personal life Rayner's collaboration with Watson developed into an affair, which resulted in him divorcing his previous wife, Mary Ickes.

Death Rayner died on June 18, 1935, in Norwalk Hospital in Connecticut. She had contracted dysentery from eating tainted fruit. Watson was troubled with her death and never remarried. In later years, their two sons reflected on their childhood as they both developed depression in adulthood. Both sons attempted suicide; only William died by suicide. James stated that his father's principles on behaviorism in their strict parenting practices inhibited his and his brother's ability to effectively deal with human emotion, adding that it undermined their self-esteem later in life.