Addiction- Learning theory and cue reactivity explanation for nicotine addiction

Question 1

The learning approach emphasises the role of what

Answer 1

Nurture

Question 2

How does the learning approach suggest that addictions stem from

Answer 2

The environment

Question 3

What are the 3 parts of the learning theory explanation

Answer 3

1) Smoking initiation- SLT
2) Smoking maintenance- OC, consequential learning and peer acceptance
3) Smoking maintenance and relapse- cue reactivity

Question 4

According to the NIDA what % of US smokers started smoking at teens

Answer 4

90

Question 5

Nicotine addiction could be picked up easily through _________ ________________ and learning from ______ status (peers) and higher status (parent) role models.

Answer 5

Vicarious reinforcement
Equal

Question 6

If this pattern of behaviour is repeated (seeing mum smoke for example) what will happen

Answer 6

Smoking becomes legitimised as acceptable
We are likely to remember this event and be motivated to repeat the behaviour ourselves - chasing this negative reinforcement (stress reduction).

Question 7

What does Skinner say about immediate reinforcers

Answer 7

They take precedence over the long term consequences.

Question 8

How can Skinners bit about immediate reinforcers relate to smoking

Answer 8

Short term benefits of smoking (reduced stress) outwight long term costs of smoking (addiction - health risks etc). 25% of inhaled nicotine reaches the brain in less than 10 seconds.

Question 9

What did Milton say about young smokers

Answer 9

Identified peer influence as an important factor in smoking, and the rejection from a peer group as key.
Hence, through social modelling and interaction, peer acceptance acts like reinforcement that helps maintain smoking behaviour.

Question 10

In terms of operant conditioning, what can maintenance of smoking be seen as

Answer 10

Negative reinforcement- it takes away unpleasant withdrawal symptoms
E.g nausea

Question 11

What does Carter and Tiffany say about the maintenance of a smoking addiction

Answer 11

Smoking addictions are often maintained and relapsed due to triggers or cues in the environment that we have learnt to associate with smoking addiction.

Question 12

What will these ‘cues’ elicit

Answer 12

A conditioned response even in the absence of the actual smoking behaviour.

Question 13

Evaluation, practical applications

Answer 13

P- This theory has led to useful practical applications to help treat those who suffer from smoking addiction.

E- Cue exposure therapy involves presenting the cue (e.g., lighter or alcohol) to the individual and helping them control their reaction to it (i.e., to develop coping strategies).

E- In this way, the response of ‘smoking’ in the presence of alcohol, lighters and/or their peers fades away or extinguishes. This is thought to be more effective than simply trying to avoid the cues, for example never drinking.

L- This implies, that the learning theory of smoking addiction and ideas around cue reactivity can help the 14% of the UK population to quit smoking for good.

Question 14

Evaluation, individual differences

Answer 14

P- However, a weakness of the explanation is that the theory neglects to consider individual differences.

E- Robinson & Berridge (1993) argue that many people try smoking yet do not become addicted despite the rewarding experiences on offer.

E- This suggests other factors must also be at work, that allow some yet not others to become full blown smoking addicts.
For example… what other factors could cause nicotine addictions?

L- This implies that a more holistic approach may be needed to fully explain nicotine addiction.

Question 15

Evaluation, environmental determinism

Answer 15

P- The approach takes an environmental deterministic approach to explaining smoking, that although creates general laws, creates a dilemma for psychologists.

E- The approach suggests that if your environment and role models are addicted to smoking it’s inevitable that you will face the same fate. This does not consider the role of personal autonomy and suggests we are ‘mere puppets of circumstance’.

L- In contrast, society at large promotes personal responsibility. This is a theoretical problem for the learning explanation of nicotine addiction.

Question 16

Evaluation, nature and nurture

Answer 16

P- The explanation is consistent with neurological findings that drugs have rewarding properties, and how nature and nurture may both contribute to drug abuse.

E- This theory is compatible with the neural explanation of nicotine as well as it focuses on the idea of nicotine being positively reinforced in the form of peer approval (learning theory) and in the form Dopamine activation (neural explanation). This would imply to remove this addiction you should tackle both the biochemical action (e.g., through NRT), and the environmental features (e.g., through desensitising individuals to cues that may activate smoking).

L- This means that OC provides a more comprehensive account of substance misuse than other theories focusing purely on Nature OR nurture alone.

Question 17

Evaluation, evdidence
- Harakeh et al

Answer 17

P- There is experimental support that illustrates the role of vicarious reinforcement in smoking behaviour.

E- HARAKEH et al (2007) investigated the role of peers and siblings in smoking behaviour with 428 families with two adolescent kids through surveys. Results showed Non-smoking adolescents with older siblings that smoked and those with a smoking best friend were more likely to have started smoking 1 year later, showing how vicarious learning from friends and older siblings influence the initiation of smoking addiction.

L- This illustrates that vicarious reinforcement plays apart in smoking addiction, making the theory more credible.