TOEFL Speaking Task 3

In psychology, the concept of 'learned helplessness' refers to a condition where an individual, after repeatedly facing uncontrollable negative events, begins to believe that their actions have no effect on outcomes. This belief leads to passivity and a failure to try to change situations, even when opportunities for escape or improvement become available. Learned helplessness is often studied in both animal and human subjects, highlighting how past experiences shape future behavior and motivation.

Professor: So, let me give you a classic example from an experiment with dogs. In this study, dogs were placed in a chamber with a fence dividing it into two parts. The floor on one side was electrified. At first, when the shock was turned on, the dogs could easily jump over the fence to escape to the safe side. But the experimenters changed the setup—they first gave the dogs shocks while they were restrained in a harness, so no matter what they did, they couldn’t avoid the shock. After several such experiences, the dogs were placed back in the chamber with the fence. Surprisingly, when the shock was turned on again, the dogs didn’t even try to jump over the fence. They just lay down and whined, passively enduring the shock, even though escape was now possible. This shows that the dogs had learned that their actions were useless, which is exactly what we call learned helplessness.