Week 3: Learned helplessness and learned optimism

Question 1

Main contributor to 1960s Learned Helplessness in dogs experiments

Answer 1

Martin Seligman

Question 2

1967 ― Triadic experiments with dogs
1969 ― Theory of learned helplessness
1975 ― First human ‘helplessness’ experiment
published
1978 ― Attributional reformulation
1989 ― Hopelessness depression theory
1991 ― ‘Learned Optimism’ published
1993 ― ‘Learned Helplessness’ published

Question 3

Design of yoked ‘triadic’ dog experiments

Answer 3

GROUP 1 ― escapable shock (dog can turn off shock
with nose)
GROUP 2 ― inescapable shock (yoked to Group 1)
GROUP 3 ― no treatment (Control)

Question 4

Phases of Learned Helplessness in dogs experiments

Answer 4

Pavlovian harness
Shuttle box

Question 5

Results of yoked ‘triadic’ dog experiments

Answer 5

GROUP 1 ― escapable shock ― Normal Learning
GROUP 2 ― inescapable shock ― Interference,
two-thirds failed to learn
GROUP 3 ― no treatment ― Normal Learning

Question 6

Original theory of learned helplessness:
Exposing organisms to UNCONTROLLABLE OUTCOMES
produces 3 DEFICITS
1. ________deficit: belief that outcomes are
uncontrollable;
2. __________deficit: lack of response initiation;
and, if the outcomes are aversive
3. _________ deficit: fear & eventually depression

Answer 6

Cognitive
Motivational
Emotional

Question 7

Original theory of learned helplessness:
applies to all organisms (not just dogs);
1. assumes even non-aversive uncontrollable outcomes
can produce learned helplessness deficits;
2. claims to explain depression, but experimenters did
not check for signs (symptoms) of depression in the
dogs

Question 8

Criticism of the theory of learned helplessness:
Goes beyond the experimental findings
(effect in dogs exposed to electric shocks)
2. Fails to explain why a third of subjects show
no effect (do not become helpless)
3. As a theory of depression:
(a) paradox of self-blame
(b) fails to explain why not everyone is
depressed

Question 9

Criticism of yoked ‘triadic’ dog experiment:
Does not rule out possibility of instrumental
response
2. Possible neurochemical explanation
3. Application of Church’s (1964) critique of yoked
control designs:
* Subjects may differ in sensitivity to shock
* Sensitivity to shock may fluctuate over time
4. Results could be due to unpredictability (NOT
uncontrollability)

Question 10

Revised theory of learned helplessness (1978): When organisms experience uncontrollable outcomes,
they explain it in terms of 3 attributional dimensions:
(a) _______- ________DIMENSION:
Determines personal or universal helplessness
(& accordingly self-blame)
(b) _______- _______DIMENSION:
Determines ‘chronicity’ (persistence)
(c) ________- _______DIMENSION:
Determines generalisability to new situations

Answer 10

(a) INTERNAL - EXTERNAL DIMENSION

(b) STABLE - UNSTABLE DIMENSION

(c) GLOBAL - SPECIFIC DIMENSION

Question 11

Revised theory: (a) _______- ________DIMENSION:
Determines personal or universal helplessness
(& accordingly self-blame)

Answer 11

(a) INTERNAL - EXTERNAL DIMENSION

Question 12

Revised theory: (b) _______- _______DIMENSION:
Determines ‘chronicity’ (persistence)

Answer 12

(b) STABLE - UNSTABLE DIMENSION

Question 13

Revised theory: (c) ________- _______DIMENSION:
Determines generalisability to new situations

Answer 13

(c) GLOBAL - SPECIFIC DIMENSION

Question 14

EXAMPLE 1: You fail exam (negative outcome)
Two possible explanations:
a) I’m stupid (internal, stable, global)
b) Exam was unfair (external, unstable, specific)

EXAMPLE 2: You come top in exam (positive outcome)
Two possible explanations:
a) I’m brilliant (internal, stable, global)
b) I was lucky (external, unstable, specific)

Question 15

The revised theory assumes some people have a
depressive (pessimistic) attributional style:

1) a tendency to give ‘internal, stable, global’
attributions for bad outcomes and

2) a tendency to give ‘external, unstable, specific’
attributions for good outcomes

Question 16

Beck’s cognitive theory of depression proposes three types of distortion:
1. negative distortions about the _______
2. negative distortions about the _______
3. negative distortions about ________

Answer 16

Self
World
Others

Question 17

Depressed people have _________ (sets of
cognitions, beliefs, attitudes etc

Answer 17

Negative schemas

Question 18

Depressed people have negative schemas (sets of
cognitions, beliefs, attitudes etc) about:
* SELF (I’m unlikeable)
* WORLD (nothing ever goes right), and
* OTHERS (nobody cares whether I live or die)

Question 19

Beck suggests _________ _________is a major factor in
maintaining depression

Answer 19

distorted thinking

FOR EXAMPLE:
* if therapist is LATE (they don’t want to see me,
I’m too hopeless)
* if therapist is EARLY (I’m so sick they have to
rush to the office)

Question 20

‘Hopelessness’ theory of depression:
* based on learned helplessness theory
* assumes depressed people generalise
inappropriately from situations with
uncontrollable outcomes to situations with
controllable outcomes
* assumes depressed patients have an unrealistic
attributional style

Question 21

Martin Seligman is a strong advocate of _________
retraining
to be both successful & happy:
* develop a healthy (‘optimistic’) ________ style

Answer 21

attributional

Question 22

Depressive ________ hypothesis:
* depressed college students were more
accurate (realistic) in making judgments
about their performance in an experimental
task
* non-depressed college students tended to
over-rate their performance

Answer 22

realism

Question 23

_________ theory of depression:
* based on learned helplessness theory
* assumes depressed people generalise
inappropriately from situations with
uncontrollable outcomes to situations with
controllable outcomes
* assumes depressed patients have an unrealistic
attributional style

Answer 23

‘Hopelessness’

Question 24

Positive illusions:

Cognitive theories of depression incorrectly assume
that depressed patients distort reality whereas
mentally healthy people are realistic
It is the opposite:
* mentally healthy people distort reality
(see world through ‘rose-tinted glasses’)
* depressed patients are more realistic

Question 25

__________ is a pioneer of the Positive Psychology movement

Answer 25

Seligman

Question 26

The anticipation of good or bad things to happen in the future, ___________.

Answer 26

Pessimism

Question 27

The basis of optimism lies in positive phrases or images of victory. True/False

Answer 27

False

The basis of optimism does not lie in positive phrases or images of victory, but in the way you think about causes

Question 28

Confidence that we can change or control elements of our lives.

Answer 28

the locus of control

Question 29

_________ locus of control is associated with optimism; this is the belief that you can take an active role in controlling things like exam results, work performance, and your environment in general.

Answer 29

Internal

Question 30

__________ locus of control tend to feel helpless about changing their relationships, lives, and so forth

Answer 30

External

Question 31

Three cognitive distortions tend to underpin the way we understand our experiences:

Answer 31

personalization, pervasiveness, and permanence.

Question 32

_________ can be thought of as an internal vs. external attribution style. If something bad happens:
- a pessimist will attribute it to internal factors (self blame, own fault)
- optimists externalize instead; they aren’t to blame, and next time may be better.

Answer 32

Personalization

Question 33

_________ describes the global or specific element of adversity or a negative event and is closely related to catastrophizing. “I did a terrible job; I’ll never be hired again – EVER.” Someone who views an undesirable outcome as ________ will also be more inclined to believe that it will impact other aspects of their lives, too. “It means I’m a bad student, too, and unlovable (again).”
- Optimists see positive events as ________, it can be argued, rather than negative ones.

Answer 33

Pervasiveness, pervasive

Question 34

_________ is about whether we view a negative situation as fleeting or lasting and unchangeable. A pessimistic explanatory style sounds something like: “I’ll always be a terrible dancer. It’s just who I am.” A positive one sounds more like: “I probably didn’t dance so well because my leg is currently hurting, but I’ll be back on top soon.” The key takeaway here is that the situation or circumstances are not fixed or unchangeable.

Answer 34

Permanence

Question 35

In Australia, codes of ethics for animal care and research are strict and controlled by an act of _________.

Answer 35

parliament

Question 36

Researchers in psychology must always consider potential ethical issues when they design a study. They must work out strategies to minimise risk and fill out their application for Human Research Ethics Committee approval or Animal Ethics Committee approval or both if it involves people and animals as participants. True/False

Answer 36

True