Avoidance Learning and Learned Helplessness - Week 8

Question 1

Avoidance Learning

Answer 1

• Learning via negative reinforcement
• Adapting by avoiding negative stimuli
• Maladapting by avoiding social situations

Question 2

Shuttle-Box Studies

Answer 2

• Wynne
• Dogs shocked if stand on floor for too long
• Dogs learn to jump
• Learnt through 2-factor theory

Question 3

2-Factor Theory

Answer 3

• Both classical and operant conditioning used
• Avoiding the shock through fear (Operant)
• Light out creates fear (Classical)

Question 4

Calculating Behavioural Suppression

Answer 4

A/(A+B)

10/(10+10)
10/(20)
SR =0.5

Question 5

Problems with 2-Factor Theory

Answer 5

• Dog will continue to jump, eventually eliminating the fear of the shock over time
• Dog will just jump, because that’s what its supposed to do

-This eliminates the classical conditioning

Question 6

Sidman Avoidance Theory

Answer 6

-Rats postpone shock by pressing bar repeatedly

• Had problems: Rats feared the time since they last pressed the bar, including classicla conditioning
• Making it 2-factory theory

Question 7

What is the best 1-factor theory?

Answer 7

-Herrnstein & Hineline experiment

Question 8

1-Factor vs 2-Factor

Answer 8

• 2-Factor: Artificial because some animals aren’t usually given a warning in the wild
• Both factors have reason to be appropriate based on the context

Question 9

Learned Helplessness

Answer 9

• No longer have the desire to escape, even if escape is possible
• Some dogs laid down on the floor and accepted the shock

Question 10

Problems with Learnt Helplessness experiment

Answer 10

• Exposure to lack of control

- LH occurred to the lack of contingency

Question 11

Why LH occurs?

Answer 11

• Motivational deficit: Losing motivation to respond

- Cognitive deficit: No response changes anything

Question 12

Human LH

Answer 12

• Unlikely to accept defeat

- However tend to respond in less-accurate and slower ways

Question 13

LH Theory of of Depression

Answer 13

• People that believe that nothing makes difference, they become depressed
• Exposure to repeated unsuccess leads to reduction of control and success expectation

Question 14

Problems with LH

Answer 14

• Perception of non-contingency affects performance
• Less control will mean people will be punished more
• Sequential Effects: Last trials bias
• Individual Differences: LH does not occur in everyone
• Generalization: When past tasks are similar

Question 14

Failure vs Non-contingency

Answer 14

• Fail: Punishment

- Non-contingency: Loss of control

Question 15

Reformulated Theory

Answer 15

• Way people interpret events may be important\
• Attribution for events
• Internal vs External
• Global vs Specific
• Stable vs Unstable

Question 16

Healthy/Unhealthy Attributional Styles

Answer 16

• Healthy: Believe in self to improve in future

- Unhealthy: Are doubtful of own abilities, and expect failure

Question 17

Learned Optimism

Answer 17

-Learning a positive attirubutional style