Question

A researcher places dogs in a cage with metal bars on the floor. the dogs are randomly given electric shocks and can do nothing to prevent them or stop them. later, the same dogs are placed in a cage where they can escape the shocks by jumping over a low hurdle. when the shocks are given, the dogs do not even try to escape. they just sit and cower. this is an example of

Answer 1

The answer choices to this question are:

a.       Learned helplessness.

b.      Stimulus discrimination. 

c.       Aversive conditioning. 

d.      Vicarious learning.

The best answer choice is:

a. Learned helplessness

Explanation: Learned helplessness was studied by Seligman as a potential animal model of depression. Learned helplessness occurs when people or animals feel helpless to avoid negative situations. Martin Seligman first observed learned helplessness when he was doing experiments on dogs. He noticed that the dogs didn't try to escape the shocks if they had been conditioned to believe that they couldn't escape.

Answer 2

For the answer to the question above based on the what is stated from above that when the shocks are given, the dogs do not even try to escape. they just sit and cower. This is an example that these dogs learned helplessness.
This is animal cruelty too.