The study, “Learning to be depressed” was an experimental study done by Martin Seligman and Steven Maier in 1967. Martin Seligman was a well-known influential behavioral psychologist who suggested that, “our perceptions of power and control are learned from experience” (Hock, 2013 pg. 241). Martin said that after a person attempts something and fails repeatedly it becomes natural for them to give up altogether, even though they have a chance to fix or change the situation; ultimately resulting in learned helplessness. Seligman and Maier began this study because they wanted to understand if depression is something that is learned from lack of control and power.
The first step that Seligman and Maier took in conducting their experimental research was recruiting participants, and in this case they decided to use animals as their subjects. They gathered 24 mongrel dogs who were 15 to 19 inches tall and anywhere from 25 to 29 pounds. The dogs were evenly divided into three groups, meaning that there was 8 dogs in each group. There was an escape group, no-escape group, and a no-harness control group. The dogs in the escape and no-escape groups were placed in their own harnesses and restrained, but not unable to move. “A subject could press the panel on either side by moving its head. When an electrical shock was delivered to a dog in the escape group, it could terminate the shock by pressing either panel with its head” (Hock, 2013 pg. 242). The dogs in the no-escape group were paired with a dog from the escape group. Both dogs were shocked at the same time, but the dog in the no-escape group could not control the shock. The shocks would not stop unless the dog in the escape group pressed the panels that way both dogs experienced the same amount and intensity of shock. The dogs in the no-harness group did not receive any treatment at this point in the experiment. A total of 64 shocks were given to the dogs in the escape and no-escape groups at 90 second intervals. It was easy for the escape group to quickly figure out that they could escape by pressing the side panels to stop the shock. A smaller study was done 24 hours later where the dogs were tested in a shuttle box. On both sides of the shuttle box were lights. “When the lights were turned off on one side, an electrical current would pass through the floor of the box 10 seconds later. If a dog jumped the barrier within those 10 seconds, it escaped the shock completely. If not, it would continue to feel the shock until it jumped over the barrier or until 60 seconds of shock passed, at which time the shock was discontinued” (Hock, 2013 pg. 243). In Seligman’s study the control group was the no-harness group, and the experimental group was the group of dogs that had no control over the starting and stopping of the shocks being given. The independent variable was the ability to escape the shock, and the dependent variable was the ability to learn how to stop the shocks that were being given which was measured by the amount of time it took the dog to escape the shock if possible.
What Seligman found was that with the dogs in the escape group, the amount of time that it took for them to press the panel and stop the electric current quickly decreased over the 64 shocks received. Although, the dogs in the no-escape group, the pressing of the panel stopped after 30 trials. The research findings showed that there was a significant difference between the no-escape and the other two groups, and a small insignificant difference between the no-harness and escape group. In the shuttle box experiment, 6 of the dogs in the no-escape group failed to escape 9 or 10 times. The same six dogs were tested 7 days later and this time 5 of the 6 failed to escape every time. Seligman also found that the only difference between the no-escape and the escape group was the ability to terminate the shock, so he believes that the dogs in the escape group performed normally in the shuttle box because they had learned in the harness phase that there was a correlation between their behavior and the stopping of the shock. The no-escape groups stopping of the shock in the harness was dependent on their behavior. Since the dogs in the no-escape group didn't know that their behavior influences the shock, they had no motivation to even try and escape; ultimately resulting in learned helplessness.
Seligman’s research findings are important to us humans and the world we live in for various reasons. Learned helplessness is something that us humans do not even know is happening to us at the time. For example, being in an unhealthy/abusive relationship. Time after time you take your significant other back thinking that they will change for you, and you are willing to take them back every time because you've become accustom to their love and company on “good days”. Every other week you will be breaking up over financial, behavioral, or other issues. For some reason you keep going back to this person because you feel like you cannot make it on your own without them for financial reasons, or just because you feel too alone without them. This is learned helplessness. There is a possibility that you will be happy and financially steady without your significant other, but you’ll never know because you’ve learned to be helpless or dependent on your partner.
One story that I found online was from earlychildhoodnews.com and it talks about a young girl named Sara would quickly gets frustrated when trying to complete a task. She then asks for an elders help and they do just that. This is conditioning Sara into learned helplessness. “Dweck (1978) used the term learned helplessness orientation to describe children who believe they lack ability and feel frustrated. Consequently, they stop attempting new tasks and act helpless” (Crosser, page 1). Another article that i found was by Debbie Pincus, and she too said that every time you pick up your children/teenagers dirty clothes rather than fighting with them to get them to do it, they believe that they can continue to leave their dirty clothes laying around because they know that you will pick them up. She says, “When you get stuck in a role of doing too much, you might find it hard to give up—and often, those around you might not want you to stop! (Pincus, pg. 1)
I can personally use this information on learned helplessness in my own life to help those that I know are struggling with addiction, and you can too. Some signs of depression and learned helplessness that are similar in animals and humans are “passivity, giving up and just sitting there, lack of aggression, slowness to learn that a certain behavior is successful, weight loss and social withdrawal” (Hock, 2013 pg. 245). I can look out for these signs in my friends and family and if I notice them I could simply take 10 minutes out of my day to sit down and talk to them and see if there is anything that I can do to help, and give my best advice. It’s as simple as that and anyone can help to stop learned helplessness.
Crosser, Sandra. "Early childhood NEWS-Article Reading Center." Early childhood NEWS- Article Reading Center. N.p., n.d. Web. 25Apr. 2015. <http://www.earlychildhoodnews.com/earlychildhood/article_view.aspx?ArticleI D=170>.
Hock, Roger R. (2009) Forty Studies That Changed Psychology: Explorations into the History of Psychological Research. 7th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall. Print.
Pincus, Debbie. "Learned Helplessness: Are You Doing Too Much for Your Child?" Empowering Parents. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Apr. 2015. <http://www.empoweringparents.com/Learned-Helplessness-Are-You-Doing- Too-Much-for-Your-Child.php>.
The first step that Seligman and Maier took in conducting their experimental research was recruiting participants, and in this case they decided to use animals as their subjects. They gathered 24 mongrel dogs who were 15 to 19 inches tall and anywhere from 25 to 29 pounds. The dogs were evenly divided into three groups, meaning that there was 8 dogs in each group. There was an escape group, no-escape group, and a no-harness control group. The dogs in the escape and no-escape groups were placed in their own harnesses and restrained, but not unable to move. “A subject could press the panel on either side by moving its head. When an electrical shock was delivered to a dog in the escape group, it could terminate the shock by pressing either panel with its head” (Hock, 2013 pg. 242). The dogs in the no-escape group were paired with a dog from the escape group. Both dogs were shocked at the same time, but the dog in the no-escape group could not control the shock. The shocks would not stop unless the dog in the escape group pressed the panels that way both dogs experienced the same amount and intensity of shock. The dogs in the no-harness group did not receive any treatment at this point in the experiment. A total of 64 shocks were given to the dogs in the escape and no-escape groups at 90 second intervals. It was easy for the escape group to quickly figure out that they could escape by pressing the side panels to stop the shock. A smaller study was done 24 hours later where the dogs were tested in a shuttle box. On both sides of the shuttle box were lights. “When the lights were turned off on one side, an electrical current would pass through the floor of the box 10 seconds later. If a dog jumped the barrier within those 10 seconds, it escaped the shock completely. If not, it would continue to feel the shock until it jumped over the barrier or until 60 seconds of shock passed, at which time the shock was discontinued” (Hock, 2013 pg. 243). In Seligman’s study the control group was the no-harness group, and the experimental group was the group of dogs that had no control over the starting and stopping of the shocks being given. The independent variable was the ability to escape the shock, and the dependent variable was the ability to learn how to stop the shocks that were being given which was measured by the amount of time it took the dog to escape the shock if possible.
What Seligman found was that with the dogs in the escape group, the amount of time that it took for them to press the panel and stop the electric current quickly decreased over the 64 shocks received. Although, the dogs in the no-escape group, the pressing of the panel stopped after 30 trials. The research findings showed that there was a significant difference between the no-escape and the other two groups, and a small insignificant difference between the no-harness and escape group. In the shuttle box experiment, 6 of the dogs in the no-escape group failed to escape 9 or 10 times. The same six dogs were tested 7 days later and this time 5 of the 6 failed to escape every time. Seligman also found that the only difference between the no-escape and the escape group was the ability to terminate the shock, so he believes that the dogs in the escape group performed normally in the shuttle box because they had learned in the harness phase that there was a correlation between their behavior and the stopping of the shock. The no-escape groups stopping of the shock in the harness was dependent on their behavior. Since the dogs in the no-escape group didn't know that their behavior influences the shock, they had no motivation to even try and escape; ultimately resulting in learned helplessness.
Seligman’s research findings are important to us humans and the world we live in for various reasons. Learned helplessness is something that us humans do not even know is happening to us at the time. For example, being in an unhealthy/abusive relationship. Time after time you take your significant other back thinking that they will change for you, and you are willing to take them back every time because you've become accustom to their love and company on “good days”. Every other week you will be breaking up over financial, behavioral, or other issues. For some reason you keep going back to this person because you feel like you cannot make it on your own without them for financial reasons, or just because you feel too alone without them. This is learned helplessness. There is a possibility that you will be happy and financially steady without your significant other, but you’ll never know because you’ve learned to be helpless or dependent on your partner.
One story that I found online was from earlychildhoodnews.com and it talks about a young girl named Sara would quickly gets frustrated when trying to complete a task. She then asks for an elders help and they do just that. This is conditioning Sara into learned helplessness. “Dweck (1978) used the term learned helplessness orientation to describe children who believe they lack ability and feel frustrated. Consequently, they stop attempting new tasks and act helpless” (Crosser, page 1). Another article that i found was by Debbie Pincus, and she too said that every time you pick up your children/teenagers dirty clothes rather than fighting with them to get them to do it, they believe that they can continue to leave their dirty clothes laying around because they know that you will pick them up. She says, “When you get stuck in a role of doing too much, you might find it hard to give up—and often, those around you might not want you to stop! (Pincus, pg. 1)
I can personally use this information on learned helplessness in my own life to help those that I know are struggling with addiction, and you can too. Some signs of depression and learned helplessness that are similar in animals and humans are “passivity, giving up and just sitting there, lack of aggression, slowness to learn that a certain behavior is successful, weight loss and social withdrawal” (Hock, 2013 pg. 245). I can look out for these signs in my friends and family and if I notice them I could simply take 10 minutes out of my day to sit down and talk to them and see if there is anything that I can do to help, and give my best advice. It’s as simple as that and anyone can help to stop learned helplessness.
Crosser, Sandra. "Early childhood NEWS-Article Reading Center." Early childhood NEWS- Article Reading Center. N.p., n.d. Web. 25Apr. 2015. <http://www.earlychildhoodnews.com/earlychildhood/article_view.aspx?ArticleI D=170>.
Hock, Roger R. (2009) Forty Studies That Changed Psychology: Explorations into the History of Psychological Research. 7th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall. Print.
Pincus, Debbie. "Learned Helplessness: Are You Doing Too Much for Your Child?" Empowering Parents. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Apr. 2015. <http://www.empoweringparents.com/Learned-Helplessness-Are-You-Doing- Too-Much-for-Your-Child.php>.