TOEFL Speaking 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 outcomes of their actions, even when opportunities for control exist. This belief often arises after repeated exposure to uncontrollable negative events. As a result, the person stops trying to change their situation, leading to passivity and a lack of initiative, even in new environments where they could actually succeed.

Professor: Let me give you a classic example. In an experiment, a group of dogs was placed in a chamber with an electrified floor. They could avoid the shocks by jumping over a low barrier. However, some dogs were previously restrained and shocked repeatedly, with no way to escape. After this initial phase, these same dogs were placed in the new chamber. Even though the barrier was low and they could easily jump over it, they just lay down and whined after the first few shocks. They didn’t even try to escape. In contrast, dogs that hadn’t experienced the earlier uncontrollable shocks quickly jumped the barrier. The key point is that the dogs’ past experience of helplessness made them give up, even when the situation was actually controllable.