Addiction and Learning Flashcards
Addiction
Addiction is a chronic disease where a person cannot stop using a substance or engaging in a behaviour.
Is addiction a disease?
Addiction is a disease but it is not pathogen based so cannot be caught.
What does addiction require?
Addiction requires a direct voluntary action for a person to become addicted.
Why is biological psychology considered too simple/reductive?
People believe that the biological approach is that “everything boils down to biology.” But this is untrue, the biological approach is that “everything stems from biology”
What causes a thought, feeling or behaviour?
Every thought, feeling or behaviour that we have is the product of a biological mechanism. Having that biological mechanism does not mean that the behaviour will occur. But without the biological mechanism you cannot do that behaviour.
What causes addiction?
Addiction is a product of a biological mechanism that we have.
Will the behaviour always occur if we have the biological mechanism?
If we have a biological mechanism necessary for the production of a behaviour does not guarantee that it will occur. But not having the biological mechanism necessary for the production of a behaviour guarantees that the behaviour will not happen.
What happens if we do not have a biological mechanism necessary for a behaviour?
If we do not have a biological mechanism necessary for the production of a behaviour. The behaviour will definitely not happen.
What does an organism have to have to become addicted?
Any organism capable of becoming addicted must have a biological mechanism that creates addiction.
Learning
A durable change in behaviour due to experience
What happens when you learn something?
When you learn something you form new connections between neurons. You reinforce these connections by practise.
Definition of classical conditioning
Classical conditioning is learning what conditions or events predict a significant event to occur.
- classical conditioning is a type of learning, it is reflexes, automatic and happens unconsciously.
About classical conditioning
- classical conditioning is a type of learning.
- automatic.
- unconscious
- is reflexes.
Unconditioned stimulus
Unconditioned stimulus is a stimulus that produces an automatic response
Unconditioned response
Unconditioned response is an unlearned response that is automatic and occurs naturally in response to an unconditioned stimulus. Unconditioned response is a reflex.
What happens in classical conditioning?
Classical conditioning is a type of learning which involves repeatedly pairing two stimulus. One stimulus produces an automatic response (reflex), called an unconditioned stimulus. The other stimulus is a neutral stimulus that produces no response. If you pair the neutral stimulus and unconditioned stimulus enough times the neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus that produces the same response as the unconditioned stimulus does.
Conditioned stimulus
Conditioned stimulus is a previously neutral stimulus but after repeatedly being paired with an unconditioned response becomes a conditioned stimulus that produces the same response as the unconditioned stimulus.
Conditioned response
Conditioned response is a learned response to a previously neutral stimulus but after being repeatedly paired with a unconditioned stimulus it produces the same responses as the unconditioned stimulus.
Equation of classical conditioning
Neutral stimulus + unconditioned stimulus = conditioned stimulus and conditioned response.
Neutral stimulus is repeatedly paired with an unconditioned stimulus and the neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus as it becomes conditioned to produce the same response as an unconditioned stimulus.
What is the main mechanism of classical conditioning
The main mechanism of classical conditioning is prediction
What makes an association in classically conditioning stronger?
The number of times an unconditioned stimulus and a neutral stimulus (conditioned stimulus) is paired predicts the degree to which a organism becomes classically conditioned.
What is classical conditioning concerned with?
Classical conditioning is a form of learning concerned with stimuli and reflexes.
What does a conditioned stimulus produce?
A conditioned stimulus produces a conditioned response which is a learned response (reflex) when a neutral stimulus is repeatedly paired with an unconditioned stimulus to produce a conditioned response which is the same response as the unconditioned stimulus produces.
How is classical conditioning related to addiction
Cue reactivity is a classically conditioned response to a drug stimulus.
What are types of associative learning?
- classical conditioning
- operant conditioning
Definition of operant conditioning
Operant conditioning is a type of learning that involves reinforcement and punishment to increase or decrease a behaviour.
Difference between operant conditioning and classical conditioning
Operant conditioning is voluntary behaviour and classical conditioning is involuntary behaviour (reflexes).
What is operant conditioning based on?
The law of effect which is a theory that believes that a behaviour that has a good outcome is likely to happen again and a behaviour that has a bad outcome is less likely to happen again.
What is positive in operant conditioning?
Positive means gaining something.
What is negative in operant conditioning?
Negative means losing something.
What is reinforcement?
Reinforcement is a term used in operant conditioning. Reinforcement is anything that increases likelihood of a behaviour happening again.
What is punishment?
Punishment is a term used in operant conditioning. Punishment is anything that decreases the likelihood of a behaviour happening again.
Positive reinforcement
Positive reinforcement is a good consequence of a behaviour. Positive reinforcement is gaining something you like.
Negative reinforcement
Negative reinforcement is a good consequence of a behaviour. Negative reinforcement is losing something you don’t likez
Positive punishment
Positive punishment is a negative consequence of a behaviour.
Positive punishment is gaining something you don’t like.
Negative punishment
Negative punishment is a negative consequence of a behaviour. Negative punishment is losing something you like.
How is operant conditioning related to addiction?
Reinforcement is important in addiction. Gaining happiness from taking the drug is positive reinforcement as you gain something you like. Losing withdrawal side effects when you take the drug is a negative reinforcement as you are losing something you don’t like.
What is the biological mechanism of addiction?
Reward system is the biological mechanism of addiction.
How does reward relate to addiction?
Reward is a positive reinforcement of addiction as it is something you gain that you like .
Drug of abuse
Is a drug you can become addicted to
What does reward system do?
Reward system reinforces behaviours and reward system is activated when we experience something rewarding.
When is reward system activated?
When we experience something rewarding, the reward system is activated. For example drugs activate reward system by increasing levels of dopamine.
What do drugs do?
Drugs activate reward system by increasing dopamine levels.
What happens we you experience something rewarding?
Our reward system is activated and our dopamine levels increase. The behaviour is positively reinforced by operant conditioning.
What makes a drug very addictive?
If a drug causes a faster release of dopamine it takes less time become addicted to the drug and makes the drug more addictive. So you become addicted to a drug faster when it releases dopamine quicker.
Why is a faster release of dopamine bad when taking drugs?
A faster release of dopamine activates the reward system faster so the drug is more addictive so takes less time to become addicted to the drug when there is a faster release of dopamine.
Bolus dose
Bolus dose is a single dose of a drug e.g. injection
Why is a bolus dose more addictive?
Bolus dose is more addictive as it goes to the brain quicker than other ways of administering a drug so it increases leaves of dopamine quicker which means it is more addictive.
What makes a drug more addictive
How the drug is administered makes it more addictive for example a bolus dose (single dose of a drug) is more addictive because it goes to the brain quicker and increases dopamine levels quicker. So it is more addictive.
What is the evolutionary basis of the reward system?
Reward system reinforces behaviours that are essential for survival. The reward system reinforces the target behaviour and behaviours surrounding the target behaviour for example food and the hunt for food.
How does reward system reinforce behaviours?
Reward system reinforces behaviours through operant conditioning by increasing levels of dopamine.
Why do drugs release dopamine faster?
Drugs artificially active the reward system so drugs increase levels of dopamine faster and there is a larger amount of dopamine than if the reward system was activated naturally.
How is associative learning involved in addiction?
Classical conditioning - cue reactivity which a classically conditioned response to a drug stimulus.
Operant conditioning - reinforcement. Drugs artificially activate the reward system by increasing levels of dopamine and the reward system positively reinforces drug use.
What causes addiction?
Classical conditioning - cue reactivity which is a classically conditioned response to a drug stimuli after being repeatedly paired.
Operant conditioning - positive reinforcement: activation of reward system. Negative reinforcement: elimination of withdrawal symptoms.
What happens when a person becomes addicted?
When a person becomes addicted to a drug, their body adapts to function normally or as close it can get to normal.
Why does a person experience withdrawal symptoms when they stop taking a drug?
A person who is addicted to a drug experiences withdrawal symptoms when they stop taking the drug because there body has adapted to function normally with the drug.
What happens when a person adapts to a drug/becomes addicted?
A person who has adapted to a drug or is addicted experiences reduced sensitivity to a drug over time. So the person requires more of the drug and more frequent use of the drug to have the same effect.
Can you undo addiction?
Your body adapting to function normally to a drug can be reversed so you can function normally again without the drug.
What happens after you adapt to function without the drug?
Cravings persist long after the body has adapted to function without the drug.
Reciprocal determinism
Reciprocal determinism is the theory that the interaction between biology behaviour and environment is why people become addicted.
