title: Vicariously Learned Helplessness: The Effects of Viewing a Model Experiencing Uncontrollable Events.
abstract: The effects of viewing a model experiencing controllable or uncontrollable events were studied within a learned helplessness framework. Ss were 58 college students, 22 males and 36 females, with a mean age of 19.8 years. Naive observers witnessed naive models attempt to solve a solvable or an insolvable discrimination task. Then both models and observers were administered an anagram-solving task. Results failed to demonstrate a learned helplessness effect for either the observers or the models. Although not statistically significant, models in the insolvable condition solved a greater number of anagrams than models in the solvable condition, contrary to expectations based on previous studies (6.92 vs. 6.00). Results support recent claims that the learned helplessness effect is easily influenced by modifications in the experimental setting, particularly when anagrams are used as the dependent measure.
authors.affiliation: a Texas Tech University and University of Southwestern Louisiana , USA.
authors.forename: Elson M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Bihm
authors.affiliation: a Texas Tech University and University of Southwestern Louisiana , USA.
authors.forename: Richard M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Mcwhirter
authors.affiliation: a Texas Tech University and University of Southwestern Louisiana , USA.
authors.forename: Patti L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Kidda