The occurrence of unpredictable and often unavoidable aversive seizures in epilepsy bears a striking resemblance to the conditions known to induce learned helplessness. Additionally, depression and other characteristics associated with helplessness seem to occur more frequently among persons with epilepsy. Data from a national survey of…

The effects of different schedules of noncontingent reward on subsequent learning in children were investigated. In the first phase of the experiment subjects performed a block-design matching task and received one of three schedules of noncontingent reward, i.e., continuous reward (Group CRF), random reward on 50% of the trials (Group 50R), or no…

Examines three issues that are important in extending the learned helplessness model to clinical depressive disorders: first, the heterogeneity of clinical manifestations inherent in the depressive disorders, second, the process of constructing models for clinical depressive groups, and third, the problems involved in defining and identifying…

According to the learned helplessness hypothesis, the learning impairment typically displayed by subjects previously given insoluble problems results from the real learning of response-outcome independence. This learning is represented as a belief in helplessness that interferes with the subsequent acquisition of adaptive responses. Two…

These experiments are addressed specifically to the question of whether transituational transfer of immunizing and therapeutic effects will occur when these procedures involve responses and settings which are very different from those used in final testing. (Author/RK)

Discusses ways of dealing with the learned helplessness common in clinically depressed children undergoing foster care. Recommends social care treatment, which is inherent in daily living, and is guided by trained foster parents and caretakers. (SKC)

Tested efficiency of induced self-esteem in reducing various deficits caused by learned helplessness. Results indicated subjects who received induced self-esteem treatment showed significantly more deficit reversal. Results are discussed in relation to the usefulness of induced self-esteem as a form of treatment for helplessness depression.…

Untrained normal achievers attributed failure to adoption of specific task strategies, while untrained learning disabled boys attributed failure to task difficulty. Characteristics of learned helplessness were apparent in the impaired performance of the learning-disabled boys. Normal achievers appeared to have developed active and independent…

Compared high-school students differing in achievement motivation in a learned helplessness experiment. A strong helplessness effect was observed in both high- and low-achievement motivation groups. Results show a strong learned helplessness effect unrelated to individual differences in achievement motivation and refute claims that helplessness…

Examined relationships among sex roles, sex, and learned helplessness. Students were given unsolvable concept-formation problems or solvable concept-formation problems. Feminine-sex-typed and masculine-sex-typed students showed cognitive and motivational deficits as well as dysphoric mood in helpless conditions. Helpless androgynous students…

Females reported higher levels of depression and anxiety. Both males and females with more liberal scores on the Attitudes Toward Women Scale scored higher on the Well-Being Scale. (Author)

Examines the relative effectiveness of either partial or total success training as a preventive agent against the debilitating effect of noncontingent reinforcement. (Author/RK)

Examined factors thought to be related to adolescent suicidal ideation: absence or disruption of interpersonal attachments, conviction of personal helplessness, and sense of hopelessness. Found nearly 61 percent of 191 college students to have some suicidal ideation. Low- and moderate- to high-level ideators reported poorer parent relationships…

Study of the role of personality factors in health and disease suggests that motivational variables are related to and influence physiological systems. Affiliative trust and a greater sense of agency are associated with better health, while affiliative cynicism and a sense of helplessness are associated with more illness. (AF)