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Modulating effects in learned helplessness of dyadic dominance-submission relations
Cristina Díaz-Berciano1, Francisco de Vicente, Elisa Fontecha
1Departamento de Psicología Básica I (Procesos Básicos), Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Campus de Somosaguas, 28223 Madrid, Spain. cdiazberciano@psi.ucm.es
Aggressive Behavior
|August 22, 2007
Summary
Social dominance and submission influence learned helplessness. Submissive animals showed improved learning and mastery, while dominant animals were impaired by uncontrollable conditions.
Area of Science:
- Ethology
- Animal Behavior
- Psychology
Background:
- Learned helplessness is a psychological state where individuals become passive after repeated exposure to aversive stimuli.
- Individual differences in social behavior, such as dominance and submission, may modulate responses to stress and helplessness.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the ethological basis of learned helplessness by examining the role of social dominance and submission.
- To determine if social status influences an animal's vulnerability to learned helplessness.
Main Methods:
- Ninety animals were used, categorized into dominant, submissive, and randomly selected groups.
- An escape/avoidance task was employed to assess performance under controllable and uncontrollable conditions.
- The study utilized a triadic design with three subgroups per condition.
Main Results:
- Animals in the uncontrollable condition performed significantly worse than those in controllable or no-treatment groups.
- Socially submissive and dominant animals exhibited reduced vulnerability to learned helplessness.
- Submission facilitated subsequent learning irrespective of prior controllability, while dominance impaired performance in controllable conditions.
Conclusions:
- Social hierarchy, specifically submission and dominance, plays a crucial role in modulating learned helplessness.
- Submission appears to confer resilience and enhance learning, even after uncontrollable experiences.
- Dominance may be detrimental in controllable situations, potentially impairing learned mastery.
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