A- social psychological explanations Flashcards
what is the first social psychological explanation
peer influence
what did Eiser et al. find
that among adolescents, smokers tend to befriend smokers and non-smokers befriend other non-smokers
explain the social learning theory
albert banduro
we all learn through operant and classical and operant conditioning we can also learn through the observation and initiation of others. in order to learn something, the individual needs to be motivated by 2 processes (observing a role model and vicarious reinforcement)
explain what is meant by observing a role model
this is someone the individual may identify with and admire
explain vicarious reinforcement
SLT emphasise that for a behaviour to be imitated it must be seen as rewarding in some way (it is reinforced) they then learn that repeating these behaviours is worth it
how is SLT applied to addiction
an individual may see their friend smoking, these peers may be role models and they may also be rewarded for smoking through having a higher social status and seemed to be enjoying it (vicarious reinforcement)
this results in the individual imitating the smoking behaviour as they expect a reward. young people are most likely to imitate the behaviour of those who they have the most contact with
what determines whether a behaviour (smoking) will persist
experience (pleasant or unpleasant) with the new behaviour will determine whether it continues (direct reinforcement)
what are social norms
rules of behaviour that are considered acceptable within a particular social group (can affect behaviour)
2 types of social norm
descriptive norm
injunctive norm
what is a descriptive norm
an individual’s perception of how much others engage in behaviours such as smoking or drinking
injunctive norm?
what an individual perceives as others approval of the behaviour
how are social norms applied to addiction
can be applied to alcohol consumption, suggested students overestimate the descriptive and injunctive norms within their peer group, they believe their friends are drinking more alcohol then they are (D norm) and that drinking excessively is more socially acceptable than it actually is (injunctive norm)
evidence found to support perceived social norms
Perkins and berkowitz found a high proportion of the students they surveyed believed being intoxicated was only acceptable in certain circumstances, a high proportion also thought their peers thought it was socially acceptable. they feel no need to reduce their consumption as they think that everyone is doing it more than them anyway
a strength of the peer influence explanation of addiction
can be seen in the supportive evidence available
one study that supports the peer influence explanation
Simons-Morton and Farhat reviewed the findings of 40 prospective studies into the relationship between peers and smoking and found that all but one showed a positive correlation between the two. similar results also found for other addictive behaviours
what can Simons-Morton and Farhat research suggest
supports the link between the behaviour of peers and engagement in addictive behaviours, the fact that the studies were prospective provides stronger evidence of a causal relationship between the two, showing a high level of validity within this explanation of addiction
another research study that supports the peer influence explanation of addiction
Clayton and Neighbours compared a number of factors related to alcohol consumption, found that descriptive and injunctive norms were the best predictor of alcohol consumption among a sample of US college students,
problem with Clayton and NEighbours research
perceived social norms were not effective at determining alcohol problems e.g. drink driving. therefore although peers may influence individuals to engage in an addictive activity in the first place, other factors may be more important in influencing whether this goes on to become an addiction
they also only looked at US college students, lacking in population validity therefore we cannot generalise the findings, they are limited so cannot generalise to all individuals
what does Clayton and Neighbours research suggest
that although the evidence supports the peer influence explanation the study is lacking population validity. more research needs to be carried out over a larger sample to validate the explanation and apply it to all addictions
one weakness of the peer influence explanation
need to maintain caution as a key problem is determining whether the peers influence the individual to engage in the addictive behaviour (peer influence) or whether individuals chose friends because they also engage in the behaviour (peer selection)
evidence to support the weakness of the peer influence explanation
Ennet and BAuman found that pps who were non-smokers at the start of the study and who had smoking friends were more likely to be smoking by the follow up (evidence of peer influence) there was also evidence that individuals had change membership of friendship groups in line with their smoking/non-smoking behaviour (evidence of selectoin)
another weakness of the peer influence explanation
there is contradictory evidence. other evidence suggests that experimenting with drugs while alone is a key factor in the development of addictions. classic image of a teenager experimenting with cigarettes is whilst being alone in their bedroom, recent research has suggested the role of peers may have been over-emphasised. more research needed.
what is the second social psychological explanation
the role of the media
what is the role of the media explanation
it seems likely that the way addictive behaviour are portrayed in the media could have an affect on people’s attitudes towards these behaviours.
SLT
role of the media
the same principles of SLT applied to peer influences can be applied to the role of the media. people continue to learnt through the observation and imitation of others but this time its the celeberaty acting as the role model, the vicarious reinforcement = certain behaviours seens as glamorous
exposure to addictive behaviours in the media
studies have shown the portrayal of potentially addictive behaviours (smoking/alcohol) is very common in television and film. alcohol use was portrayed in 86% of popular UK films and 40% of TV programmes (Lyons et al.)
what did Glantz et al’s research say
compared smoking films from 1950-2002, found there was a decline in the incidents of smoking between 1950 and 1982, this then increased again up to 2002 to near similar levels to those portrayed in 1950.
does the exposure of addictive behaviours have an affect
sargent and Hanewinkel tested whether adolescents exposure to smoking in movies influenced their initiation into smoking, surveyed a total of 4384 individuals aged 11-15 , then re-surveyed a year later. found in those individuals who hadn’t smoked when first surveyed, exposure to movie smoking over the year was a significant and strong predictor of whether they had began to smoke within the year.
what did Sargent and Hanewinkel’s research suggest
that there is research evidence to pointing to the strong influence of the media in determining addictive behaviour
strength of the role of the media explanation of addiction
can be seen in the research evidence available which makes this explanation difficult to argue against. when looking at advertising used in the media it appears that advertising of alcohol and cigarettes does seem to increase awareness of these products and shape attitudes (particularly in young people)
who’s evidence is a strength of the role of the media explanation
(2)
Chapman and Fitzgerald
found that under-age smokers reported a preference for highly advertised brands.
Atkin et al. found that 12-17 year olds who had been exposed to higher levels of advertising were more likely to approve of under-age drinking and drunkness
what does this supportive evidence suggest
researchers found that exposure to marketing and media promoting smoking increased positive attitudes around smoking and even doubled the chances of starting to smoke, suggests there is validity in the suggestion that the media has a significant influence in shaping the addictive behaviours and attitudes of the public
weakness of the role of the media explanation of addiction
there is an alternative perspective. Boyd argues that films frequently represent the negative consequences of alcohol and drug dependence. for example, illegal drug use and addiction are often depicted by physical deterioration (unkempt bodues and hair,sexual degradation (prostitution and rape) violence and crime (theft and murder) and moral decline (stealing from loved ones).
what does Boyds alternative perspective say about the role of the media
this suggests that the various outlets of the media take the influence they can have on an individuals behaviour seriously and try to portray a realistic image of addiction, showing negative as well as positives.
social psyhcological method of modifying
perception of social norms can have an effect on an individuals behaviour. it appears that individuals often overestimate the amount of alcohol that their peers drink and that it is more socially acceptable than it actually is.
it may be possible to design interventions to stop students consuming more alcohol due to an overestimation of social norms
SNMA
adverts focus on providing info about how much students typically drink, hope that providing information will help combat over-estimation of social norms
Moore et al.
what is the SNMA
method of modifying
aims to alter students perceptions of their peers drinking habits through the use of the mass media and other communication techniques techniques
Moore research
method of modifying
he used beer mats, leaflets and posters containing phrases such as ‘those around you are drinking less than you think’ follow up surveys found those who recalled the materials reported lower perceived social norms than those who didn’t. effects on drinking were unclear
