3.1.3 Cognitive Biases (Add)

Question 1

how could computer analogy explain addiction?

Answer 1

faulty thinking - drug use acceptable

leads to faulty output of substance abuse

Question 2

how could schemas explain addiction?

Answer 2

person develops certain ideas about a lifestyle e.g. students should drink

Question 3

according to the cognitive view addiction is a result of what?

Answer 3

faulty thinking patterns

Question 4

errors in thinking explain what?

Answer 4

why addicts begin and continue their behaviours

Question 5

what are these errors known as?

Answer 5

cognitive biases

Question 6

what are heuristics?

Answer 6

strategies and mental shortcuts

Question 7

what do humans use heuristics to approach?

Answer 7

decision making, problem solving, making judgements

Question 8

how can heuristics lead to cognitive biases?

Answer 8

people take shortcuts deviating from the logical decision they should have made

Question 9

what does the representative heuristic involve believing?

Answer 9

random events follow a pattern

Question 10

with the representative heuristic some become problem gamblers as they develop a gamblers fallacy - what is this?

Answer 10

believing if something happens more now it will happen less in the future

Question 11

give example of gamblers fallacy:

Answer 11

e.g. roulette table showing consecutive black then a red is “due”

Question 12

with gamblers fallacy what do gamblers believe?

Answer 12

they can predict bet outcomes and are due a win

Question 13

what principle is the availability heuristic based upon?

Answer 13

an event is perceived as more likely if it can be recalled from memory e.g. hearing about something

Question 14

with problem gambling the availability heuristic may have the effect of giving a gambler what belief?

Answer 14

belief they are likely to win making them continue gambling

Question 15

what things may make the individual feel they have a good chance of winning? (availability heuristic)

Answer 15

media reports of big wins

hearing others win e.g. slot machines in a casino

Question 16

what is the illusion of control?

Answer 16

gamblers believing if they control part of the gambling process e.g. throwing the dice in a certain way, they will have more chance of a win

Question 17

what is hindsight bias?

Answer 17

problem gambler believing they could have predicted the outcome of the gamble

Question 18

how does hindsight bias act as reassurance?

Answer 18

belief if they keep gambling and improve their skill they will be able to win more

Question 19

what does self serving bias involve gamblers saying their wins are due to?

Answer 19

internal causes e.g own skill

Question 20

what does self serving bias involve gamblers saying their losses are due to? making them what?

Answer 20

bad luck

feel better about their losses

Question 21

self serving bias encourages gamblers to do what?

Answer 21

continue to gamble

Question 22

What did Toneatto find and when did he find it

Answer 22

Found that typical cognitive distortions of gamblers included selective memory, superstitious beliefs and an illusion of control, which is consistent with the increased irrational verbalisations found by Griffiths (1994).
He found this in 1999

Question 23

What Johnsen et al found and when did he find it

Answer 23

Found that active smokers had slower reaction times on the addiction version of the stroop test than both ex-smokers and non-smokers.
Found this in 1997.