| Predictions of Seligman's learned helplessness model and Solomon's opponent-process theory were evaluated using 60 female college students who expressed an intense fear of spiders. Subjects were exposed to repeated presentations of four spider slides under one of three conditions: Perceived Control (N = 14), Perceived Noncontrol (N = 19), or Exposure Only (N = 12). A fourth group (N = 15) was exposed to an equal number of presentations of four neutral (color) slides. A measure of mood (MACL) was obtained prior to exposure conditions, following the first block of slide presentations, after the last block of exposures, and after experimental conditions were terminated. Subjects also gave a rating of negative affect (stress) during a short time after each slide presentation. Heart rate was monitored throughout.; By the end of treatment, both Perceived Control and Perceived Noncontrol produced a significant decrease in rated stress. Rated stress for Exposure Only and Neutral Exposure subjects showed little change and remained at high and low levels, respectively. On the MACL, "anxiety" and "dysphoria" for subjects exposed to spider slides, including Perceived Noncontrol, exhibited a significant decrease following termination of the experiment. This decrease was accompanied by a significant increase in "elation" and "euphoria" scores for the Perceived Control and Noncontrol subjects. However, there was also an increase in elation for the Neutral Exposure group and Exposure Only failed to show the expected increase in euphoria. Heart rate measures were quite variable and failed to exhibit consistent patterns either between or within groups. Overall, the results are inconsistent with the learned helplessness model but do offer some support for the opponent-process theory. |
