Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-29T13:17:58Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao Karine Amaral Magalhaes.pdf: 791740 bytes, checksum: ee5e2d1ffab557039d81d02cd3ead174 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006-05-12 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / This study attempted to produce learned helplessness with humans subjects exposed to controllable and to incontrollable events. Two experiments were carried out. Experiment 1 investigated the effects of a procedure similar to one used by Hatfield & Job (1998) on the production of learned helplessness. In this procedure, differently from the most common used on the distribution of the aversive stimuli for the yoked group, the order of the stimuli (strident sounds) presentation was randomized with the intent of preventing concentration of stimuli with a certain characteristic (short duration) at some specific moments of training. Experiment 2 tried to investigate the effects of requesting verbal reports about the working contingencies during some trials of the training on learned helplessness. Experiment 1 had 28 participants, distributed into 3 groups: Contingent (9 participants), Yoked (9 participants), and Control (10 participants). During training, pressing F1 3 times eliminated the sound for the Contingent group; during test, pressing 3 times one of the 3 rectangles (the one on the left) presented on a computer keyboard eliminated the sound. For the Yoked group, during training none of the available responses could eliminate the sound, and during test pressing 3 times the left rectangle could eliminate the sound. Control group was submitted only to test and the response that eliminated the sound was the same as for the other groups during test. In Experiment 1, during training, sounds were presented 40 times for each participant and during test another 40 times. Experiment 2 had 20 participants distributed into two groups: Contingent Verbal Report (10 participants) and Yoked Verbal Report (10 participants). The procedure for these two groups was the same as for Contingent and Yoked groups in Experiment 1, except that for 8 trials during training participants were asked to give verbal reports describing the working contingencies. Results of Experiment 1 show that the procedure used with the Yoked group of changing the order of sounds duration prevented concentration of short duration sounds in the final trials of training and also prevented superstitious behavior. In relation to learned helplessness, although more participants in Yoked group than in Contingent and Control groups learned the requested response to eliminate the sound, learned helplessness in its sharpest mode (not learning) was observed in one participant performance, and in its moderate mode (learning difficulty) was observed in two participant performance. Notwithstanding, the Yoked group did not statistically differ from Contingent and Control groups. Experiment 2 replicated results of Experiment 1 in relation to Yoked Verbal Report group s procedure. In relation to learned helplessness, again results resemble Experiment 1 s in that although more participants in the Yoked Verbal Report group than in Contingent Verbal Report group learned the required response, learned helplessness was observed in two participants in its most sharpened mode, and in other two participants performance in its moderate mode. For both Yoked groups in total, seven participants presented learned helplessness in some way, and for 12 participants (63% of total number of participants exposed to uncontrollable aversive stimulus) no prejudice of learning was observed. Therefore, none of the two experiments produced learned helplessness with humans and statistical analysis confirm this result. In relation to verbal reports, 60% of the participants in each group reported the planned contingency at some moment. For four out of five participants in the Yoked Verbal Report group that described the planned contingency, that is, uncontrollability, learned helplessness was in some mode observed / O presente trabalho foi uma tentativa de produzir desamparo aprendido com sujeitos humanos e, também, de proporcionar uma descrição acurada das contingências em vigor para os grupos submetidos tanto à controlabilidade quanto à incontrolabilidade. Para tanto, dois experimentos foram realizados. No primeiro experimento, o objetivo foi: investigar os efeitos de procedimento similar ao utilizado por Hatfield & Job (1998) na produção de desamparo aprendido. Nesse procedimento, diferentemente do procedimento mais comum utilizado para a distribuição dos estímulos aversivos no grupo acoplado, a ordem de apresentação desses estímulos (no caso, sons estridentes) foi randomizada, a fim de impedir a concentração de estímulos com determinadas características (no caso, sons de curta duração) em determinados momentos do treino. No segundo experimento, além desse mesmo objetivo, pretendeu-se verificar quais os efeitos de solicitações de relato verbal sobre as contingências em vigor, realizadas em algumas tentativas, ao longo da fase de treino, na produção de desamparo aprendido. Participaram do primeiro experimento 28 participantes distribuídos em três grupos: Contingente (9 participantes), Acoplado (9 participantes) e Controle (10 participantes). Para os participantes do grupo Contingente a resposta de teclar F1 três vezes interrompia o som na fase de treino; já no teste, a resposta de clicar, também três vezes, sobre um de três retângulos (o da esquerda) apresentados na tela do computador interrompia o som. Para os participantes do grupo Acoplado, nenhuma resposta nas teclas disponíveis interrompia o som na fase de treino, já no teste a mesma resposta requerida para os participantes do grupo Contingente foi requisitada. Os participantes do grupo Controle somente foram submetidos à fase de teste, na qual a mesma resposta requerida para os grupos Contingente e Acoplado foi requisitada. Em ambas as fases, quarenta sons foram apresentados aos participantes deste experimento. No segundo experimento, 20 participantes foram distribuídos em dois grupos: Contingente Relato Verbal (10 participantes) e Acoplado Relato Verbal (10 participantes). O procedimento para os participantes destes dois grupos foi igual ao dos participantes do grupo Contingente e Acoplado do Experimento 1, exceto que, em oito tentativas ao longo da fase de treino, era solicitado que o participante descrevesse a contingência em vigor. Os resultados obtidos no primeiro experimento mostraram que, o procedimento de mudança na ordem das durações do som adotado para os participantes do grupo Acoplado impediu a concentração de sons de curta duração nas tentativas finais do treino e a produção de comportamento supersticioso. Em relação ao desamparo aprendido, apesar de mais participantes do grupo Acoplado terem aprendido as respostas requeridas, quando comparados com os participantes dos outros dois grupos, o desamparo aprendido pôde ser observado, no seu grau mais acentuado (não aprendizagem) em um participante e, em um grau menos acentuado (dificuldade de aprendizagem) no responder de dois participantes. Todavia, considerando as análises estatísticas realizadas, o grupo Acoplado não diferiu significativamente dos outros dois grupos. No segundo experimento, em relação ao procedimento empregado para o grupo Acoplado Relato Verbal, os mesmos resultados obtidos no Experimento 1, com o grupo Acoplado, foram observados no grupo Acoplado Relato Verbal. Em relação ao desamparo aprendido, mais uma vez, os resultados obtidos no segundo experimento mostraram-se muito semelhantes aos resultados obtidos no Experimento 1. Neste segundo experimento, apesar de mais participantes do grupo Acoplado Relato Verbal terem aprendido as respostas requeridas, o desamparo aprendido foi observado, em seu maior grau, no responder de dois participantes desse grupo e, em seu grau menos drástico em dois participantes. Em suma, apenas sete participantes dos dois grupos Acoplados apresentaram desamparo aprendido em algum grau. Porém, 12 participantes, o que corresponde a mais de 63% dos sujeitos expostos aos estímulos aversivos incontroláveis não tiveram o desempenho prejudicado em função dessa exposição. Dessa maneira, o presente estudo não produziu o desamparo aprendido com humanos e, as análises estatísticas realizadas confirmam essa conclusão. Quanto à solicitação dos relatos verbais, nota-se que mais de 50% dos participantes de cada um dos dois grupos relatou a contingência planejada em alguma oportunidade. Observou-se, também, que dos cinco participantes do grupo Acoplado Relato Verbal que descreveram a contingência planejada para a fase de treino, ou seja, a incontrolabilidade, quatro desses participantes apresentaram o desamparo aprendido em algum grau

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-29T13:18:02Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Carolina E Perroni.pdf: 1145832 bytes, checksum: a05ff28512b53e57b44921cf8796556a (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006-12-20 / The present study investigated the effects of exposure to aversive events- controllable and incontrollable on the performance of young adults on an escape/avoidance task that followed such exposure. A second goal of the present study was to evaluate the possible effects of requests of verbal reports over the participants performances. Participants were 40 adults assigned to 3 groups: participants of the Escape Group were exposed to a Training Condition when an aversive sound could be turned off by his/hers responses. These participants were, then, exposed to a Test Condition (40 trials) where a second response turned off the same sound. Participants of the Yoked Group where exposed to a Training Condition similar to the Escape Group, but no responses were effective to turn off the sound. The same Test condition was programmed for participants off the Yoked and Control Groups. Participants off the Escape and Yoked Groups were assigned to 1 of 3 conditions of verbal report: they were asked if they know how to turn off the sound on the 40th trial, or 3 different trials, or on 23 trials of the Training Condition. Results did not suggest the common effects associated with helplessness. Results also showed that the verbal reports did not contribute to the emergence or to the prevention of helplessness. Results showed, on the other hand, that certain patterns of responding on the Training Condition were closely related to participants performances on the Test Condition / O presente estudo teve como objetivo investigar quais seriam os efeitos da exposição a eventos aversivos incontroláveis ou controláveis sobre o desempenho em uma tarefa posterior a tal exposição, em sujeitos humanos. Um segundo objetivo foi verificar se estes efeitos seriam alterados pela solicitação de relatos do desempenho aos participantes. Para tanto foi utilizado um procedimento de tríades, comumente usado em estudos que investigam desamparo. Os participantes também receberam, na fase de treino, solicitação de relatos acerca da tarefa e de seu desempenho. Participaram 40 adultos que foram distribuídos aleatoriamente em 7 grupos experimentais: Fuga, Emparelhado e Controle (com 8 participantes cada um) e Fuga 3, Emparelhado 3, Fuga 23 e Emparelhado 23 (com 4 participantes cada um). Os participantes (exceto do Grupo Controle) foram submetidos a duas fases experimentais (Treino e Teste), cada uma com 40 tentativas de apresentação de um som. Na Fase de Treino, os participantes dos Grupos Fuga, Fuga 3 e Fuga 23 podiam terminar o estímulo aversivo (som), caso teclassem 3 vezes a tecla F1. Para os participantes dos grupos Emparelhado, Emparelhado 3 e Emparelhado 23 nenhuma resposta era efetiva para o término do estímulo aversivo na Fase Treino. Todos esses participantes receberam em determinadas tentativas da fase de treino solicitação para que relatassem se sabiam como desligar o som: a diferença entre eles foi o momento de solicitação de relatos verbais e a quantidade de solicitações. Em uma tentativa de evitar comportamentos supersticiosos, as apresentações de sons de diferentes durações para os participantes dos Grupos Emparelhados na fase de treino foram randomizadas. Os resultados apontaram que os participantes dos Grupos Emparelhados tiveram melhor desempenho na Fase de Teste do que os participantes dos outros grupos, indicando que neste caso não se observou os efeitos da exposição a eventos aversivos incontroláveis que vêm sendo chamados de desamparo. Os participantes do grupo Fuga tiveram um melhor desempenho na Fase Teste em relação aos participantes do grupo Controle. Em relação às solicitações de relato verbal, dizer que sabia o que fazer não foi preditivo de sucesso na Fase de Teste. No entanto, as repetidas perguntas parecem ter tido o efeito de promover a descrição, pelo participante, de seu próprio comportamento, sugerindo que o perguntar poderia ter induzido algum comportamento de auto-observação. Além disso os resultados indicam que certos padrões de respostas na Fase de Treino, estão relacionados com o desempenho na Fase de Teste

Dr. Lenore Walker developed battered woman syndrome to address the issue of domestic violence and to give battered women a defense in situations in which they kill their abusive partners when they are not overtly threatening them. Self-defense law is based on male on male combat. Women are less able to protect themselves in an attack by a man, and so they may preemptively attack their sleeping partners to avoid a situation in which they cannot adequately protect themselves. Battered woman syndrome explains why these battered women act in a way that is irrational to a non-battered person. Walker's theory of learned helplessness explains why the woman does not leave the abusive relationship, and the cycle of violence theory explains why she perceives an imminent threat. Battered woman syndrome is problematic in its legal application because of problems with its scientific validity and reliability. It also furthers gender stereotypes and blurs the line between a justification and an excuse defense. While, Dr. Walker's intentions were good, battered woman syndrome is inadequate. Women's difference from men still have to be acknowledged in cases in which battered women kill their husband's, but social agency framework is a more effective way to acknowledge gender differences. This framework takes into account social circumstances that would explain a woman's actions rather than including pathology. This would explain why the woman did not leave an abusive relationship. To avoid the pathology of BWS while explaining why the woman felt an imminent threat, the defense can turn to a pattern of abuse that helps her reasonably recognize when violence is likely.

The unsatisfactory achievement of adult competency among emerging adults aging out of foster care is well documented. However few studies have examined how development within the child welfare system impacts the ability to achieve competence. In this study, homeless emerging adults who had not aged out of foster care were compared to peers who were homeless and aged out of foster care. The child welfare system is a unique environment with its own policies. In order to better understand the process of development within the child welfare system, the current study used life course developmental theory to understand how the child welfare system affects the development of children and their ability to achieve competencies. Specifically, the role of learned helplessness in influencing the developmental trajectory of children aging out of foster care was examined. The data were collected utilizing participatory action research methods and the use of this methodology among homeless emerging adults is explored. The current study analyzes data collected by the Texas Network of Youth Services. The study examined issues surrounding the transition to adulthood among homeless emerging adults using a participatory action research methodology. The sample included emerging adults 18 to 25 years old who were homeless (n=134). A subset of the sample aged out of foster care. The results indicated that, 1) homeless emerging adults who have not aged out of foster care may be an appropriate comparison group for those who have aged out, 2) homeless emerging adults who aged out of foster care were more likely to have a perception of learned helplessness that may impede their ability to achieve adult competency when compared to those who did not age out of foster care, and 3) despite receiving services to prepare them for adulthood, homeless emerging adults who aged out of foster care had just as much difficulty achieving adult competency as their homeless peers who did not receive these services. Finally, results showed that the use of participatory action research among homeless emerging adults may be a promising approach for future research. Participants expressed feeling empowered and having perceptions that indicated self-efficacy. This indicated that this type of methodology may be promising in altering perceptions of learned helplessness. / text

Depression and post-traumatic stress disorder are common psychiatric comorbidities related to stress. These conditions are frequently treated with antidepressants such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI’s). However, there are individual differences in susceptibility to stress-induced psychopathologies and response to antidepressants. Therefore, there is a need to identify biologic factors that predict vulnerability to stress and response to treatment. Furthermore, few studies have examined the neural correlates of antidepressant treatment response in a stress-susceptible animal model. This dissertation had three specific aims: 1) to characterize behavioral predictors of stress vulnerability by studying three dimensions of temperament (reward dependence, novelty-specific activity and harm avoidance) before stress exposure using a stress-susceptible rat strain, 2) to identify the neural network effects of response and non-response to SSRI treatment using a stress-susceptible animal model, and 3) to determine the neurophysiologic correlates of helplessness susceptibility. This was examined via measurement of regional brain metabolic capacity and functional connectivity within relevant neural circuits, and measurements of corticosterone and heart rate. These effects were studied in rats that underwent inescapable shock exposure followed by escape testing. Holtzman rats showed greater predisposition to helpless behavior following inescapable shock compared to Sprague Dawley and Long-Evans strains. Also, increased activity in a novel environment and low heart rate appeared to be markers of helplessness susceptibility in Holtzman rats. Limbic-cortical network effects were identified that distinguished between responders and non-responders to antidepressant treatment in the Holtzman strain. Finally, hypermetabolism of the lateral habenula and a less interactive prefrontal-limbic cortex were identified in subjects with higher susceptibility towards helplessness within the Holtzman strain. Similar findings have been reported with other depression animal models and human neuroimaging studies. These findings support that the helpless dimension of mood disorders can be accurately modeled with the Holtzman rat strain and confirm that the lateral habenula and prefrontal cortex are key regions mediating the helpless phenotype and response to SSRI treatment. / text

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Learning disabilities are a life-long problem for many individuals. Besides the adjustments all adolescents experience in life, learning disabled adolescents must contend with academic problems at school which have a drastic effect on their selfesteem. This becomes particularly evident when these pupils face the demands of the secondary school syllabus where they have to be able to concentrate, read for information, memorise facts, answer questions and solve problems, and write assignments. By the time learning disabled adolescents reach secondary school they have already experienced so much failure that they become passive towards their studies. Teaching these pupils metacognitive learning strategies covering these skills helps them to become more independent learners. Through executive training procedures they are assisted to become more involved in their studies, the promotion of better self-regulation and self-monitoring is fostered, and as their scores improve, so does their motivation and selfconcept / Educational Studies / M.Ed. (Orthopedagogics)

Learning disabilities are a life-long problem for many individuals. Besides the adjustments all adolescents experience in life, learning disabled adolescents must contend with academic problems at school which have a drastic effect on their selfesteem. This becomes particularly evident when these pupils face the demands of the secondary school syllabus where they have to be able to concentrate, read for information, memorise facts, answer questions and solve problems, and write assignments. By the time learning disabled adolescents reach secondary school they have already experienced so much failure that they become passive towards their studies. Teaching these pupils metacognitive learning strategies covering these skills helps them to become more independent learners. Through executive training procedures they are assisted to become more involved in their studies, the promotion of better self-regulation and self-monitoring is fostered, and as their scores improve, so does their motivation and selfconcept / Educational Studies / M.Ed. (Orthopedagogics)

Over the past two decades, India has become an international hub of cross-border surrogacy. The extreme economic and cultural differences between international couples seeking surrogacy and the surrogates themselves, clinics compromising health of surrogates for profit, the stigmatisation of surrogacy in India, and the constant surveillance of these women living in a ‘surrogate house’, have raised concerns regarding the potentially negative psychological impact of surrogacy on Indian surrogates. The primary aims of the thesis were (i) to conduct a longitudinal assessment of surrogates’ psychological problems (anxiety, depression and stress) from pregnancy until several months after relinquishing the baby to the intended parents, (ii) to examine the nature of the bond formed between surrogates and the unborn baby and establish whether this prenatal bond contributes to their psychological problems, and (iii) to explore the experiences of surrogates during and post-surrogacy. Fifty surrogates were compared with a matched group of 69 expectant mothers during pregnancy. Of these, 45 surrogates and 49 compairson group of mothers were followed up 4-6 months after the birth. All surrogates were hosting pregnancies for international intended parents and had at least one child of their own. Data were obtained using standardised questionnaires and in-depth interviews and were analysed using quantitative and qualitative methods. Indian surrogates were found to be more depressed than the comparison group of mothers, both during pregnancy and after the birth. However, giving up the newborn did not appear to add to surrogates’ levels of depression. There were no differences between the surrogates and the expectant mothers in anxiety or stress during either phase of the study. The examination of risk factors for psychological problems among the surrogates showed that anticipation of stigma, experiences of social humiliation and receiving insufficient support during pregnancy were associated with higher levels of depression following the birth. With respect to bonding with the unborn child, surrogates experienced lower levels of emotional bonding (e.g. they interacted less, and wondered less about, the foetus), but exhibited higher levels of instrumental bonding (e.g. they adopted better eating habits and avoided unhealthy practices during pregnancy), than women who were carrying their own babies. Contrary to concerns, greater bonding with the unborn child was not associated with increased psychological problems post-relinquishment. All surrogates were able to give up the child. Meeting the intended parents after the birth positively contributed towards surrogates’ satisfaction with relinquishment whereas meeting the baby did not. The qualitative findings on surrogates’ experiences showed that the majority lacked basic medical information regarding surrogacy pregnancy; hid surrogacy from most people; felt positive and supported at the surrogate house; lived in uncertainty regarding whether or not they would be allowed to meet the intended parents and the baby; and did not actually get to meet them. These findings have important implications for policy and practice on surrogacy in the Global South.