Learned Helplessness

Question 1

Selegiman 1975

Answer 1

Animals exposed to uncontrollable stress subsequently exhibit impaired learning in subsequent escape paradigms

Question 2

Seligman et al., 1967

Answer 2

rang a bell and then gave dogs a light shock .
As soon as the dog heard the vell it reacted as if it had already been shocked.
Dog put in a box with a small barrier-able to jump over. one side was electrified and the other wasn’t. Dogs who had been shcoked previously lay down and did not jump over fence.
Learnt from the first experiment that there was nothing they could do to avoid the shocks.

Question 3

Martin et al., 1989

Answer 3

SSRIs effective but only in a limited dose range, all or none effect

Question 4

What other drugs reverse difficulties in helpless subjects (subchronic 3-5 days) treatment?

Answer 4

TCAs
5HT1a receptor agonists
B-adrenoceptor agonists
St John's Wort
Chronic lithium
5HT2 receptor agonist-methysergide (false negative)
PCPA- false positive
Piracetam-false positive

Question 5

Porsolt et al., 1982

Answer 5

true negatives include: neuroleptics, stimulants, sedatives and anxiolytics

Question 6

What are the problems associated with the learned helplessness model?

Answer 6

Variation in protocols between different laboratories

Question 7

What are the underlying mechanisms of helplessness?

Answer 7

Unknown but may include DA, 5HT, GABA, NA systems

Question 8

What is a skinner box?

Answer 8

Used for learning and cognition experiments. Animal gets 10 seconds of shocks every 20 seconds for 1 hour

Question 9

What is a shuttle box experiment?

Answer 9

Shuttle box has same grid floor as skinner box. Light comes on and animal has 3 seconds to move to the other side of the box. the floor tilts and tells the computer the animal has escaped so no shock is given. if animal stays on one side for longer than 3 seconds it gets shocked.

Question 10

What is the consequence of the shuttle box experiment?

Answer 10

Animals that have been shocked are unable to learn the simple escape paradigm

Question 11

Jackson and minor, 1988

Answer 11

Learned helplessness not seen in comparable patterns of controllable shock. Lower levels of fear with controllable shock

Question 12

Teixeira et al., 1995

Answer 12

Chronic but not acute treatment with lithium prevents development of learned helplessness in rodents

Question 13

Vollmayr and Henn, 2001

Answer 13

Mild shock induced learned helplessness in only some of the subjects which may mimic the variable predisposition for depressive illness