PSYCH 3EV3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Learned Helplessness, Shors, Classical Conditioning
18 Oct 2017
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Main finding: prior exposure to inescapable shock impairs escape performance in shuttle box. Pain sensitivity measured by how quickly rat flicks tail in response to radiant heat source. Inescapably shocked rats have increased tail flick latency. Rats have more difficulty learning to be helpless than dogs. Need long shocks and requires that the rat jump twice to escape the shock. Rats have to figure out which lane will allow them to escape shock. Researchers suggested that inescapably shocked rats are more prone to test hypothesis that there is a relationship between irrelevant light source and escaping shock (they pay attention to their environment) Researchers often assess learning in rats by evaluating their behaviour, however inescapably shocked rats show decreased activity. She suggests that inescapable shock may not impair learning. 8 arm radial maze as second paradigm after inescapable shock. Food pellet at end of each arm and rat placed in central chamber.
