Learned Helplessness Wkst.
AP Psychology Name
__________________________
—Learning and
Memory Date
____________ Per. __________
This
lesson is designed as both a group project and individual project. Each individual should answer the questions
on the packet, while working together with their group to discuss the
responses.
Motivation
Internal systems
There are
many systems and theories of motivation .
But what if we look deeper? What are the internal structures that lead
to us acting (as opposed, perhaps, to not acting). Here are the key systems
involved:
·
Beliefs: are 'assumed truths' on which our
understanding of the world is founded.
·
Emotions: are the fundamental internal systems
that kick us into action.
·
Goals: that we set ourselves to achieve our
needs.
·
Interest: those things that attract our
attention.
·
Needs: are the pre-programmed drivers that
evolution has given us.
·
Values: are the social rules that we live by
that enable our tribal societies to function.
Now read p 297-301 and answer the following questions:
1. What is motivation?
2. How does drive theory motivate us
to act?
3. What is an activity that you
engage in that has both intrinsic and extrinsic motivators.
Learned Helplessness Theory
Description
How we
attribute the events that occur in our lives has a significant effect on our
attitudes and efforts in improving our lot. In particular there are three types
of belief affect us:
· Stable or unstable cause: If we believe that events are caused by factors which do
not change, we assume that it is not worth us trying to change them. So if I
believe my success is based on an unchangeable ability, it will seem that it is
not worth my trying to improve myself.
· Internal or External cause: We can believe that events are caused by
ourselves or something outside of ourselves. If I assume a serious car crash
was my fault, I will be less likely to drive again than if I attribute it to a
greasy road.
·
Global or Specific
cause: If we believe that
events are caused by a large number of factors then we feel we can do less to
change things than if we see few and specific causes.
Research
Seligman
rang a bell whilst shocking a restrained dog. He then allowed it to move out of
the way and rang the bell again. The dog did not move! What it had learned was
not that ringing a bell means pain, but that it is futile trying to get away
from shocks.
Example
If a poor
test result is attributed to a lack of intrinsic capability as evidenced by
many past failures, then we are likely to reduce our efforts, be more depressed
and view ourselves in an ever-fading light.
Using it
To build
influence, make and encourage attributions about other people so they learn
helplessness and become dependent on you.
To help
people become less helpless, show them what is happening. Help them make
attributions that lead to positive actions and 'learned confidence'.
Defending
Positively
seek unstable, external and specific causes that mean you can change your
world. Guard against friends and others who push you into dependence.
Now read p. 297-301 on learned helplessness in the
textbook and answer the following question:
4. (3pts) As a group, discuss and
give an example of learned helplessness in the “real world” that you have
personally witnessed or have been involved in.
Attribution Theory
Description
We all
have a need to explain the world, both to ourselves and to other people,
attributing cause to the events around us. This gives us a greater sense
of control. When explaining behavior, it can affect the standing of people
within a group (especially ourselves).
When
another person has erred, we will often use internal attribution, saying it is due to
internal personality factors. When we have erred, we will more likely use external
attribution, attributing causes to situational factors rather than blaming
ourselves. And vice versa. We will attribute our successes internally and the
successes of our rivals to external ‘luck’.
When a
football team wins, supporters say ‘we won’. But when the team loses, the
supporters say ‘they lost’.
Our
attributions are also significantly driven by our emotional and motivational
drives. Blaming other people and avoiding personal recrimination are very real self-serving
attributions. We will also make attributions to defend what we perceive as
attacks. We will point to injustice in an unfair world.
We will
even tend to blame victims (of us and of others) for their fate as we seek to
distance ourselves from thoughts of suffering the same plight.
We will
also tend to ascribe less variability to other people than ourselves, seeing
ourselves as more multifaceted and less predictable than others. This may well
because we can see more of what is inside ourselves (and spend more time doing
this).
In
practice, we often tend to go through a two-step process, starting with an
automatic internal attribution, followed by a slower consideration of whether
an external attribution is more appropriate. As with Automatic Believing, if we are hurrying or
are distracted, we may not get to this second step. This makes internal
attribution more likely than external attribution.
Research
Roesch and
Amirkham (1997) found that more experienced athletes made less self-serving
external attributions, leading them to find and address real causes and hence
were better able to improve their performance.
Using it
Beware of
losing trust by blaming others (i.e. making internal attributions about them).
Also beware of making excuses (external attributions) that lead you to repeat
mistakes and leads to Cognitive Dissonance in others when they are making
internal attributions about you.
Defending
Watch out
for people making untrue attributions.
Now Read p. 754-756 in your
textbook and answer the following:
5.
(2 pts) Give an example where you have committed a
fundamental attribution error and felt like a jerk.
6.
(2pts) Give an example of a self-serving bias that
you have used.
Intro to Memory
