Herbert,the rat,is put in a cage that is chilly.He operates in the environment by moving around the cage and bar-pressing.He discovers that moving around and bar-pressing have no impact on the temperature of the cage or anything else.Soon,Herbert stops moving around the cage at all,and when the temperature could be controlled through bar-pressing,he doesn't figure it out.Herbert is experiencing ____.
A) learned helplessness
B) stimulus discrimination
C) punishment
D) negative reinforcement

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Herbert's behavior of no longer moving around the cage or attempting to control the temperature through bar-pressing indicates that he has learned that his actions are ineffective in changing the environment. This feeling of helplessness is known as learned helplessness. Choices B, C, and D are not correct because stimulus discrimination, punishment, and negative reinforcement do not fully explain Herbert's behavior.

Herbert,the Rat,is Put in a Cage That Is Chilly