托福口语 Task 3

In psychology, the concept of 'learned helplessness' refers to a condition in which an individual believes that they have no control over the outcome of a situation, even when they actually do. This belief often arises after repeated exposure to uncontrollable negative events. Once learned, the individual stops trying to change their circumstances, even when opportunities for escape or improvement become available. Learned helplessness can affect motivation, learning, and emotional well-being, and it is often studied in both animal and human subjects.

Professor: Let me give you an example from a classic experiment with dogs. In the first phase, dogs were placed in a chamber where they received mild electric shocks. One group could stop the shocks by pressing a panel with their nose. The other group received the same shocks but had no control—pressing the panel did nothing. After this phase, both groups were placed in a shuttle box with a low barrier in the middle. When a tone signaled an impending shock, dogs from the first group quickly jumped over the barrier to escape. However, dogs from the second group initially ran around but soon lay down and whined, not even attempting to jump the barrier, even though escape was entirely possible. They had learned that their actions were futile, so they gave up. This demonstrates learned helplessness: the belief that control is impossible, even when it is not.