The cognitive approach to gambling and smoking Flashcards Preview

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Flashcards in The cognitive approach to gambling and smoking Deck (33)
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1
Q

what is an addiction?

A

a mental disorder whereby the individual loses their control over a particular behaviour.

2
Q

general

what are the 3 cognitive explanations of an addiction?

A

self-medication model
Expectancy theory
rational choice theory

3
Q

initiation of gambling is explained using which theory?

A

self medication theory

4
Q

Explain the initiation of gambling using the self medication theory-treat symptoms

A

individuals intentionally use forms of pathological behaviour to treat the symptoms from which they suffer. E.g pathological gambling to treat their symptoms.

5
Q

what are the 1 evaluation points for the initiation of gambling?not general

A

Research support

6
Q

gambling
initiation-self medication
evaluation
research support

A

pathological gamblers who gambled to escape the painful reality of life were more likely to have other substance dependencies. ‘self medicating’ gamblers were more likely to commit crimes to finance their gambling supporting the model.

7
Q

general
initiation-self medication
evaluation
publication bias

A

The focus on research in this theory has largely focused on positive research findings which constitutes as publication bias. Especially when the size of the studies are very small, replications are few and contradictory findings are frequent, meaning an unrepresentative view of this research is apparent.

8
Q

general
maintenance-self medication
stress relief as a reason for maintenance

A

Smokers mention stress relief as a reason why they smoke. However, smokers report higher levels of stress than non smokers and levels of stress decrease when they stop smoking. Each cigarette has an effect on stress because it relieves the withdrawal symptoms. These is an ongoing effect that increases stress though.

9
Q

general
relapse-self medication
people experience negative symptoms when they stop

A

when those negative symptoms are experienced, people believe they need the medication to go back to ‘normal’ or to help.

10
Q

general
maintenance-self medication
why do people become addicted when no major problem is to be overcome?

A

Sexually abused women are more likely to turn to drugs or alcohol to remove sexual inhibitions than non-abused women. However, this model cannot explain why people become addicted when no major problems are to be overcome.

11
Q

maintenance of gambling is explained using which theory?

A

rational choice theory

12
Q

general
maintenance-rational choice theory
addicts behave in a way that is likely to maximise the preferences they hold.

A

Gamblers however are an exception to this rule, rational choice theory would predict that gamblers should not continue their gambling behaviour particularly those who lose.

13
Q

general
maintenance-rational choice theory
Evaluation
what research supports the irrational thinking behind gamblers?

A

Researchers set out to discover whether regular gamblers thought and behaved differently. He compared gamblers in terms of their verbalisations as they played the fruit machine. Regular gamblers believed they were more skillful, tended to treat the machine as a person and saw their losses as ‘near wins’

14
Q

general
initiation-rational choice theory
utility

A

there has been an economic model of addiction proposed. This uses the concept of utility which is a measure of the satisfaction resulting from consumption. To calculate this, people weigh up the costs incurred against the benefits they are likely to receive. Addiction is experienced as an increase in consumption of goods.

15
Q

general
evaluation
maintenance-rational choice theory
can explain why some addicts can simply stop an addiction

A

the individual may reach a point in their life where it is so unpleasant that the idea of a life without the addiction is strong that they decide to stop. E.g an addicted smoker might see the costs e.g health or price of cigarettes as being too high and hence the costs outweigh the benefits.

16
Q

gambling
maintenance-rational choice theory
how do irrational beliefs lead to the maintenance of gambling?

A

Gamblers believe they have the ability to influence the outcomes of their gambling. They believe in ‘gamblers fallacy’ where random events e.g. coin toss and somehow influenced by recent events. They believe they can bend reality in a way that makes them win every time they gamble.

17
Q

gambling
evaluation
maintenance-rational choice theory
there is non-supporting research involving a gambling related cognition scale

A

One group of university students were trained in statistics where as the other group wasnt, it was found there was no difference in the 2 groups in reference to their susceptibility to irrational gambling cognition’s. Undermining the cognitive explanations for gambling.

18
Q

general
initiation-expectancy theory
this states than an individual develops an addiction because of the expectations they have about the costs and benefits of that activity

A

heavier drinkers have been associated with having a more positive expectation about the effects of alcohol compared to light drinkers. Drinking has been associated with expectations of higher cognitive and motor functioning, showing the higher benefits predicted.

19
Q

general
maintenance-expectancy theory
is the activity influenced by conscious or unconscious expectations?
Study to support this

A

unconscious expectations involving automatic processing. This would explain the loss of control many addicts experience in their behaviour. when telling smoking they should experience no negative experiences when abstaining, fewer reported negative experiences providing support.

20
Q

general

relapse-expectancy theory?

A

Unconscious expectations account for the loss of control addicts experience and also why many find it difficult to abstain.

21
Q

general
expectancy theory
evaluation
subjective evaluation of outcomes

A

The subjective evaluation of expected events may be an important determinant of drinking behaviour. The more favorable someone evaluated the impairment of drinking, the greater the overall alcohol use.

22
Q

general
expectancy theory
evaluation
gender differences in alcohol expectations

A

men tend to hold stronger expectations concerning the effects of alcohol. Men reported higher levels pf positive expectations such as tension reduction. However, other studies have found no gender differences in alcohol expectations. Meaning it may be down to individual differences-not gender

23
Q

gambling
relapse
recall bias and just world hypothesis

A

Pathological gamblers often suffer from recall bias where they remember and overestimate wins while forgetting about losses.
The just world hypothesis is where the individual believes they will be rewarded for their efforts and hence this gives them motivation for returning on subsequent occasions.

24
Q

gambling
relapse
evaluation
real world application-different treatments

A

Depending on their motivation for gambling, different approaches should be issued. For example, self medicating gamblers should focus on the underlying problem of their addiction.

25
Q

smoking

what theory is used to explain the initiation of smoking?

A

expectancy theory

26
Q

smoking
initiation-expectancy theory
why does a behaviour escalate into an addiction?

A

Because of the expectations than an individual has about the costs and benefits of that activity. Adolescent smokers report smoking when they are experiencing negative moods and with the expectation that smoking will decrease the intensity of the negative mood. Expectations of positive moods can also be a reason why adolescents begin to smoke

27
Q

smoking
initiation
evaluation
addiction or excess?

A

much of the research concerned with addiction looks at the excesses of a behaviour rather then addiction to it. It rarely considers loss of control which is what addiction entails. It is not clear what role expectancy plays in the development of this loss of control.

28
Q

smoking
maintenance
what theory is used to explain maintenance of smoking?

A

expectancy theory

29
Q

smoking
maintenance-expectancy theory
how is addiction maintained?

A

the activity is less influenced by conscious expectancies but more by unconscious involving automatic processing which explains the loss of control many addicts experience. When telling smokers they shouldn’t experience any negative effects during abstinence, few were reported supporting the theory.

30
Q

smoking
relapse
what theory is used to explain this?

A

Expectancy theory

31
Q

smoking
relapse
why are people more likely to relapse according to the expectancy theory?

A

Because they are assessing costs and benefits and if they think that smoking has a lot of benefits and hardly any costs then they are likely to relapse.

32
Q

smoking
relapse
evaluation
nicotine patch and relapse rates

A

Research has shown inconsistent findings with some showing nicotine patches did improve cessation rates and other not. The use of nicotine patches it has been found can increase cessation rated but only when combined with CBT which involves talking and discovering the root of the problem. Meaning more research needs to be done on which method if treatment is most effective.

33
Q

what is the cognitive approach?

A

it emphasises ways of thinking an interpreting events that lead to the development of addictive behaviour. It looks at the reasons behind engaging in behaviour.