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 describes the process in which the dogs were repeatedly exposed to an environment in which they were unable to escape or avoid unpleasant stimuli. As a result, the dogs eventually gave up trying to escape or avoid the stimuli, even when given the opportunity to do so. This is believed to be due to the dogs developing a cognitive expectation that they had no control over their environment, leading to learned helplessness. The other options (A, B, and D) do not fully explain why the dogs displayed learned helplessness.

The Text Describes the Conditioning of Learned Helplessness in Dogs