Evaluation of the Effect of Learned Helplessness on Depression and Aggression on Chimpanzees Kept in NAJA Animal Park

Background and aim: Right after the day that Seligman published his experimental and laboratory studies about effects of helplessness on the mood of organisms, a new field of research and study was developed, extending from low to human levels. This empirical study was performed to explore the effects of “learned helplessness” on the mood-behavioral states of chimpanzees. Materials and Methods: To this end, first, the rate of symptoms of depression and aggression of the three chimpanzees was measured using two independent checklists with sufficient reliability. Then, all three animals experienced “learned helplessness” syndrome using “repeated frustrations”. Three days after, the three animals experienced the syndrome, their rate of depression and aggressive reactions were measured using the two mentioned checklists. The data obtained from the pre-test and post-test stages were analyzed by SPSS software and using statistical dependent t-test. Results: The obtained results revealed that the learned helplessness has firstly made all three animals depressed and secondly, it has significantly increased the aggressive behaviors of all three animals. Conclusion: It can be concluded from these findings that like humans, the helplessness caused by continuous failures also makes the animal organisms experience unpleasant and painful moods such as depression and aggressiveness.

Keywords:

Learned helplessness , Depression , Failures , Mood-behavioral states , Chimpanzees , درماندگی آموخته شده , افسردگی , ناکامی , حالات خلقی-رفتاری , شامپانزه