To study learned helplessness in animals, Seligman, Majer, and Geer (1968) subjected dogs to inescapable electric shock. Four dogs were suspended in a cloth hammock and shocked for 64 trials through electrodes taped to their hind feet. A day later, they were placed in shuttle boxes from which they could escape when shocked, but because they had developed learned helplessness comma the dogs passively accepted the shock rather than escape. The researcher then used conditioning to teach the dogs to escape the shock. Are there any ethical issues that should be raised concerning the research described? If so, what?

What will be an ideal response?


Answer: Yes, there are ethical violations within this experiment including extensive physical harm to animals that are covered under the Animal Welfare Act. There is also no mention of deconditioning in order to reverse the trauma from the experiment and ensure that the dogs returned to their original state.

Psychology

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The correlation between social class and intelligence is

a. positive. b. negative. c. inverse. d. zero.

Psychology

The scientific discipline that examines psychological impairments of the central nervous system, and the therapeutic or educational techniques designed to bring about improvement, is known as ____

a. behavioral psychology b. cognitive psychology c. clinical neuropsychology d. health psychology

Psychology

Brittany states that she vividly remembers the day she turned 19. This is an example of a(n) _____ memory.

A) explicit B) procedural C) implicit D) iconic

Psychology

Which of these correctly pairs an unconditioned stimulus with its unconditioned response?

a) allergens - asthma attack b) object touches lip - flushing c) high temperature - salivation d) irritation in nose - erotic feeling

Psychology