TOEFL Speaking Task 3

The concept of 'learned helplessness' describes a psychological state in which an individual, after repeated failures or aversive experiences, begins to believe that they have no control over their environment, even when opportunities for escape or success are later presented. This belief leads to passivity and a failure to act, despite available alternatives. Learned helplessness is often studied in both animals and humans, and it illustrates how prior conditioning can override rational assessment of current circumstances.

Professor: So, let me give you a classic example from Martin Seligman's experiment with dogs. Dogs were placed in a shuttle box with a low barrier in the middle. One side had an electrified floor, but the other side was safe. When a tone sounded, the dogs received a mild shock. At first, the dogs quickly learned to jump over the barrier to escape the shock. But then, another group of dogs were first restrained in a harness where they could not escape the shock, no matter what they did. After several such sessions, they were placed in the shuttle box. When the tone sounded, these dogs didn't even try to jump. They just lay down, whimpered, and accepted the shock, even though the barrier was low and easy to jump over. They had learned that their actions were futile, so they gave up.