Describe the learned helplessness theory of depression. Use this model to explain how a failure or disappointment in life is theorized to lead to depression. Give a specific example of something upsetting that could happen to an individual and the thought process that this model suggests could contribute to the person's subsequent feelings of depression
What will be an ideal response?
Martin Seligman discovered that dogs and rats have an interesting emotional reaction to events over which they have no control. If rats receive occasional shocks, they can function reasonably well as long as they can cope with the shocks by doing something to avoid them, such as pressing a lever. But if they learn that nothing they do helps them avoid the shocks, they eventually become helpless, give up, and manifest an animal equivalent of depression. Seligman suggests we seem to do the same thing, but only under one important condition: people become anxious and depressed when they decide that they have no control over the stress in their lives. These findings evolved into an important model called the learned helplessness theory of depression. Often overlooked is Seligman's point that anxiety is the first response to a stressful situation. Depression may follow marked hopelessness about coping with the difficult life events. The depressive attributional style is (1) internal, in that the individual attributes negative events to personal failings ("it is all my fault"); (2) stable, in that, even after a particular negative event passes, the attribution that "additional bad things will always be my fault" remains; and (3) global, in that the attributions extend across a variety of issues.
An example of an upsetting event is being placed in a nursing home. In a relatively short amount of time, the patient realizes that he/she has lost all control over his/her life, becoming stressed as every decision is made for him/her by family, caregivers, and personnel. The patient feels anxious, afraid, and eventually depressed. Often the feelings of helplessness turn to hopelessness and the person gives up.
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The principal disadvantage of descriptive/correlational research methods is
a. because of practical or ethical reasons, they cannot be used to study some research questions. b. since researchers cannot control variables of interest, conclusions concerning cause-and-effect relationships are not appropriate. c. they do not allow the researcher to describe behavior. d. they frequently observe behavior in artificial situations.
Kevin watches as his wife Denise walks toward the house. Even though the retinal image of Denise grows larger as Denise approaches, she does not appear to be growing larger as she moves closer and closer to Kevin. This scenario illustrates ______________
a. relative size b. size constancy c. retinal disparity d. linear perspective
An implication of the telegraphy experiment is that
(a) learning a task is smooth and gradual, with no sudden changes in the learning curve (b) if we master the more complex things then the little things will fall into place (c) we should make the lower order skills automatic (d) we should use a 2 x 2 table
Which of the following statements about adoption is true?
A) In Western Europe, more unwed mothers give up their babies than in the past. B) Adopted children tend to have fewer emotional difficulties than other children. C) In North America and Western Europe, the availability of healthy babies has declined. D) Fewer adoptive parents are accepting children who have known developmental problems.