Learned helplessness in the rat: Effect of response topography in a within-subject design


Autoria(s): SANTOS, Cristiano Valerio dos; GEHM, Tauane; HUNZIKER, Maria Helena Leite
Contribuinte(s)

UNIVERSIDADE DE SÃO PAULO

Data(s)

20/10/2012

20/10/2012

2011

Resumo

Three experiments investigated learned helplessness in rats manipulating response topography within-subject and different intervals between treatment and tests among groups. In Experiment 1, rats previously exposed to inescapable shocks were tested under an escape contingency where either jumping or nose poking was required to terminate shocks: tests were run either 1, 14 or 28 days after treatment. Most rats failed to jump, as expected, but learned to nose poke, regardless of the interval between treatment and tests and order of testing. The same results were observed in male and female rats from a different laboratory (Experiment 2) and despite increased exposure to the escape contingencies using a within-subject design (Experiment 3). Furthermore, no evidence of helplessness reversal was observed, since animals failed to jump even after having learned to nose-poke in a previous test session. These results are not consistent with a learned helplessness hypothesis, which claims that shock (un)controllability is the key variable responsible for the effect. They are nonetheless consistent with the view that inescapable shocks enhance control by irrelevant features of the relationship between the environment and behavior. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

FAPESP[01/13097-5]

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

FAPESP[08/51294-6]

CNPq[306007/2006-1]

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Identificador

BEHAVIOURAL PROCESSES, v.86, n.2, p.178-183, 2011

0376-6357

http://producao.usp.br/handle/BDPI/32131

10.1016/j.beproc.2010.11.005

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.beproc.2010.11.005

Idioma(s)

eng

Publicador

ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV

Relação

Behavioural Processes

Direitos

restrictedAccess

Copyright ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV

Palavras-Chave #Gender #Learned helplessness #Rat #Response topography #Time course #INESCAPABLE SHOCK #ESCAPE #INTERFERENCE #ATTENTION #EXPOSURE #FAILURE #TASK #CUES #Psychology, Biological #Behavioral Sciences #Zoology
Tipo

article

original article

publishedVersion