Week 6: Escape and Avoidance Learning Flashcards
What is Escape Learning?
Escape Learning is learning to perform a behavior because it terminates an aversive event and reflects the power of negative reinforcement.
Example: taking a painkiller to relieve a pounding headache.
What is Avoidance Learning?
Avoidance Learning is learning to avoid events or conditions associated with dreaded or aversive outcomes.
Example: avoiding driving with people who had too much to drink, as it may be associated with automobile accidents and death.
What are the two types of conditioning that Avoidance Learning depends on?
Avoidance Learning depends on classical conditioning and maladaptive avoidances.
What is an example of classical conditioning in Avoidance Learning?
An event or condition comes to signal an aversive state.
Example: drinking and driving may be associated with automobile accidents and death.
What are maladaptive avoidances?
Maladaptive avoidances are avoidance behaviors that occur in response to phobias.
Example: students avoiding classes that require public speaking due to a bad experience.
What is Learned Helplessness?
Learned Helplessness is a learned response of resigning oneself passively to aversive conditions, rather than taking action to change, escape, or avoid them.
What does research on learned helplessness suggest?
If exposed to repeated aversive events that cannot be escaped or avoided, individuals may learn to do nothing and suffer the punishment.
Who conducted the initial experiment on learned helplessness?
The initial experiment on learned helplessness was conducted by Overmeier and Seligman.
What was the method used in the learned helplessness experiment?
Dogs were harnessed so they could not escape shocks, and when the option to avoid the shock was presented, they did nothing.
The control group, who had not experienced the shock, jumped to the other side.
What were the observed effects on dogs experiencing inescapable shocks?
The dogs were less active, had less appetite, and showed other depression-like symptoms.
