Addiction: Social Psychological Explanation

Question 1

What are the Social Psychological Explanations of Addiction?

Answer 1

1. Peer Influence

2. Role of the Media

Question 2

Who Proposed the Social Learning Theory?

Answer 2

• Bandura (1977/86)

Question 3

Describe the Social Learning Theory

Answer 3

• Emphasizes the role of social factor on behavior
• Behavioral approach - learning through reinforcement
• Includes indirect reinforcement
• Known as SLT because you can learn indirectly through other’s behavior

Question 4

How is the Learner Motivated?

Answer 4

1. Observing a Role Model (watching someone who you identify with + adrenaline
2. Vicarious Reinforcement (role model reinforced in behavior the individual anticipates similar outcome + rewards for themselves)

Question 5

Apply SLT to Addictive Behavior. (Smoking)

Answer 5

• Individual sees their peers smoking
• Peers might be people they look up to (Role Models)
• Peers are being rewarded through having a higher social status + seen to be enjoying it
• Therefore individual engages in behavior

Question 6

What are Social Norms?

Answer 6

• Rules of behavior that are consided acceptable within particular social groups
• Perceptions of norms among peer groups can effect an individual’s behavior

Question 7

What Examples of Social Norms?

Answer 7

1. Descriptive Norms

2. Injunctive Norms

Question 8

Describe Descriptive Norms

Answer 8

• An individual’s perception of how much others engage in behavior

Question 9

Describe Injunctive Norms

Answer 9

• What an individuals perceives as other’s approval of their behavior

Question 10

Apply Social Norms to Addiction (Alcohol)

Answer 10

• Perkins + Berkowitz (1986)
• High proportion of students believed being intoxicated was only acceptable in limited circumstances
• High proportion believed it was acceptable
• Individuals act in way they think group is acting
• See no need to reduce their consumption as they think that everyone else is doing it more then they are
• Students overestimate descriptive + injunctive norms - believe that peers are drinking more alcohol + that it’s more socially acceptable

Question 11

Peer Influence Evaluation

Research Evidence

Answer 11

• POSITIVE
• Simons-Mortant + Fachat (2010) = reviewed 40 prospective studies into relationship peers + smoking - found that all but one showed a positive correlation
• Research supports link between behavior of peers + engagement in addictive behavior - prospective studies provide stronger evidence of a causal relationship

Question 12

Peer Influence Evaluation

Peer Influence or Peer Selection

Answer 12

• NEGATIVE
• Key problem with research is whether peer influence the individuals to engage in behavior or whether individual chooses friends as they also engage in behavior
• Ennett + Bauman (1994) = participants who didn’t smoke at start of study + who had friends who smoked were more likely to smoke at follow up
• Evidence suggests individual had changed membership of friendship groups in line with their (non)smoking friends

Question 13

Peer Influence Evaluation

Perceived Social Norms

Answer 13

• NEGATIVE
• Neighbors (2007) = number of factors related to alcohol consumption + found descriptive + injunctive norms were the best predictors of alcohol consumption amougst college students - supports idea peer influence engagement in addictive behavior
• Not best predictor of alcohol problems (e.g. Drink driving) - peers may influence to engage in addictive behavior but other factors may be more important in influencing whether individuals becomes addicted

Question 14

Peer Influence Evaluation

Methodological Issues

Answer 14

• NEGATIVE
• Majority of research in this area involves self report + correctional research - both have issues associated
• Defining a peer relationship is very difficult - friend groups change over time + people associated with different people for different activities
• Students are more accurate in their perception of their best friend’s drinking habits then they are of others - peer influence = too broad
• Difficult to conduct experimental studies on humans - impossible to manipulate who an individual are friends with
• Smith (2012) = rats more likely to self-administer cocaine when they’re with another rat who has also got access to cocaine compared with a rat that was present but who didn’t have access to cocaine

Question 15

Applying Peer Influence to Modifying Addiction - Social Norms Marketing

Answer 15

• Aims to change student’s perception of their peer’s drinking habits through use of mass media marketing
• Adverts focus on providing statistics about how much teenagers typically drink
• Gives students more accurate information that will help combat the overestimation of social norms
• Results were mixed but remains popular in USA
• Moore (2013) = trail across Welsh Unis by using beer mats/leaflets/posters displaying information targeting both descriptive + injuctive norms
• Students who could recall the materials reported lower perceived norms - effects on alcohol consumption was unclear

Question 16

How does the Social Learning Theory Apply to the Media?

Answer 16

• Film star/celebrity/character acts as a role model + the vicarious reinforcement
• Need to consider how the media portrays addictive behaviour + whether or not this exposure has an effect

Question 17

How does the Media Expose People to Addictive Behaviours?

Answer 17

• Smoking + alcohol is very common in films + television
• Lyons (2013) = alcohol was seen in 86% of popular UK films + in 40% of TV programmes
• Glantz (2002) = compared smoking seen in films from 1950-1982 - found a decrease 1950-1982 - increases again up to similar levels seen in 1950

Question 18

Describe How Vicarious Reinforcement Applies to the Role of the Media

Answer 18

• Behaviour are seen both more frequently + in a positive light
• Gunasekera (2005) = 87/200 top films in the past 20 years using content analysis - tobacco + alcohol use was most common
• Addiction portrayed positively + without negative consequences - provides vicarious reinforcement

Question 19

Describe the Exposure Effect in the Role of Media

Answer 19

• Wellman (2006) = How exposure to tobacco advertising + use of tobacco in films influenced children’s attitudes to smoking - exposure t marketing + media promoting smoking increased positive attitudes - doubled chances of starting smoking
• Hanewinkel (2014) = teenagers from a range of European cultures who never wanted to drink alcohol - results from a follow up 12 months later :
• 40% tried alcohol
• 9% engaged in binge drinking

Question 20

Explain the Correlation Between Gambling, Addiction + Media Influence

Answer 20

• Increase in gambling advertising may contribute to gambling addiction by introducing individuals to gambling/ triggering a relapse
• Dervesky (2012) = teenagers who already gamble are more likely influenced by advertising + when the adverts promotes gambling as a glamorous + social activity where winning is easy - increase in gambling advertising is a relatively recent development may be some time until the effects are fully seen.

Question 21

Role of the Media Evaluation

Difficulty Establishing a Causal Link

Answer 21

• NEGATIVE
• Majority of research into media + addiction is correlational - cause + effect cannot be established
• May not be the media causing the addiction but friend/family influence in what’s viewed
• Pechmann + Shih (1999) = used experimental method to assess the effect of smoking portray attitudes to smoking. They used 2 versions of same film. V1 contained smoking V2 didn’t. Those who saw V1 reported to have more positive attitudes towards smoking + increased personal intentions to smoke

Question 22

Role of the Media Evaluation

Lack of Population Validity

Answer 22

• NEGATIVE
• Adolescents are too susceptible to social influence + therefore the effects are easily detected
• Effects may be different in adults
• However - Jamison + Bomber (2011) = results in adults are very similar

Question 23

Role of the Media Evaluation

Adolescents View of the Media

Answer 23

• NEGATIVE
• Atkinson (2011) = acknowledge that drinking alcohol was often seen as glamorous - adolescents interviewed were aware that images of people were exaggerated for effect

Question 24

Role of the Media Evaluation

The Media can have a Positive Effect

Answer 24

• POSITIVE
• Contribute to reduction of addictive behaviour
• Pechmann - effects of showing film were cancelled out by showing an anti-smoking advert before film