ADDICTION: Ind - Cognitive Biases A01

Question 1

Cognitive Biases Intro

Answer 1

The rewards of an addiction (pleasure experienced) is outweighed by the costs (financial outgoings / effect on relationships / effect on health)

• Therefore it can be suggested that those who are addicted are not rational which may be explained by a cognitive bias

Question 2

Heuristics Researchers

Answer 2

Kahneman & Tversky

Question 3

Heuristics Definition

Answer 3

Strategies in which humans have adopted to allow them to better make decisions and judgements based on probability quickly

Short efficient mental rules which we use to make decisions

• Helpful as they help save time making a decision but can lead to us making cognitive errors
• Heuristics lead to cognitive biases
  
  • Errors in thinking which explain why people initiate and continue with damaging behaviours (i.e. addiction)

Question 4

Heuristics Applied to gamblers

Answer 4

Tendency for gamblers to make it personal… (Slide)
Faulty perceptions - irrational beliefs

Gambler’s Fallacy / Sunk Cost Fallacy / Illusion of Control

Question 5

Gambler’s Fallacy

Answer 5

The idea that random events will equal themselves out over time (something hasn’t happened for a while so it’s due to appear)
- “I haven’t had a win in 3 months, it’s got to happen tonight!”

E.G
Monte Carlo Casino - A roulette wheel showed a run of 26 black in succession
- Gamblers believed that a red was ‘due’ and there was a rush to bet on red which resulted in many losses

Question 6

Sunk Cost Fallacy

Answer 6

In too deep - If an individual has invested heavily into something, they are more likely to continue investing

• Losing money despite the logical decision being to walk away

Question 7

Illusion of Control

Answer 7

Many gamblers will (falsely) believe they have control over some aspects of the process which increases their chances of success

E.g. throwing the dice a particular way / sitting in a particular seat at the roulette table