Learned helplessness and learned optimism

Question 1

Main contributor to 1960s Learned Helplessness in dogs experiments

Answer 1

Martin Seligman

Question 2

Design of yoked ‘triadic’ dog experiments

Answer 2

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 3

Phases of Learned Helplessness in dogs experiments

Answer 3

1. Pavlovian harness
2. Shuttle box

Question 4

Results of yoked ‘triadic’ dog experiments

Answer 4

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

Question 5

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 5

1. Cognitive
2. Motivational
3. Emotional

Question 6

Original theory: 1. ________deficit: belief that outcomes are
uncontrollable;

Answer 6

Cognitive

Question 7

Original theory: 2. __________deficit: lack of response initiation;
and, if the outcomes are aversive

Answer 7

Motivational

Question 8

Original theory: 3. _________ deficit: fear & eventually depression

Answer 8

Emotional

Question 9

Revised theory of learned helplessness: 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 9

(a) INTERNAL - EXTERNAL DIMENSION
(b) STABLE - UNSTABLE DIMENSION
(c) GLOBAL - SPECIFIC DIMENSION

Question 10

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

Answer 10

(a) INTERNAL - EXTERNAL DIMENSION

Question 11

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

Answer 11

(b) STABLE - UNSTABLE DIMENSION

Question 12

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

Answer 12

(c) GLOBAL - SPECIFIC DIMENSION

Question 13

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 13

1. Self
2. World
3. Others

Question 14

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

Answer 14

Negative schemas

Question 15

Beck suggests _________ _________is a major factor in
maintaining depression

Answer 15

distorted thinking

Question 16

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

Answer 16

attributional

Question 17

_________ ________ 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 17

Depressive realism

Question 18

_________ 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 18

‘Hopelessness’