The text describes the conditioning of learned helplessness in dogs. According to the text discussion, why did the dogs display learned helplessness?
A)The dogs were reinforced for passive behavior.
B)All other operant responses were punished.
C)The dogs had developed the cognitive expectation that there was nothing they could do to escape or change their environment.
D)The behavior they needed to learn was too complex for dogs to perform.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The text states that the dogs displayed learned helplessness because they had developed the cognitive expectation that there was nothing they could do to escape or change their environment. This expectation was created by experiencing an uncontrollable event (electric shock) repeatedly, until the dogs gave up trying to escape. The dogs were not reinforced for passive behavior (A) and all other operant responses were not necessarily punished (B). It is not mentioned that the behavior they needed to learn was too complex for dogs to perform (D).

The Text Describes the Conditioning of Learned Helplessness in Dogs