Addiction Social Psychology- Peer Influence

Question 1

What are perceived social norms?

Answer 1

Rules of a social group that the members of that group adhere to
Social norms differ group to group with peer groups having their own individual set of rules altering our perception
If a person thinks that everyone around them is engaging in risky behaviour they may engage in behaviour as it’s seen as normal

Question 2

Bosari and Carey two types of social norms?

Answer 2

Descriptive and injunctive

Question 3

What are descriptive norms?

Answer 3

Individual perception of how much others engage in behaviour such as drinking or smoking

Question 4

What are injunctive norms?

Answer 4

What an individual percieves as other approval of behaviour

Question 5

What did Perkins and Berkowitz?

Answer 5

Hugh proportion of students believed to be intoxicated was only acceptable in limited circumstances vs a high proportion also thought that peers throught was acceptable
Therefore individuals act in the way they think groups are acting
In particular they see no need to reduce consumption as they think everyone else is doing it more then them anyway

Question 6

Study conducted by the national institute on drug abuse 2016 on teenage brain differences?

Answer 6

Teens more likely to act out risky behaviour if they know their friends are watching e.g. speeding
even if they aren’t encouraged
-They do this by doing FMRI images showed that friends presence heightened activity in certain area of brain responsible for predicting and determining values of reward
-Knowing friends are watching stimulated these religions linked with reward going ahead and took risks

Question 7

VR- what is vicarious reinforcement?

Answer 7

Learning behaviour through the consequence of others

Question 8

VR- How does vicarious reinforcement influence peers on addiction?

Answer 8

An addict may intimidate the behaviour of their role models because this rewards them for it e.g. their healthy friends are running gambling so they begin to gamble

Question 9

VR- what is indirect peer pressure?

Answer 9

A subtle feeling difficult to detect that you must do it or you’ll be left out of the social norm
-If everyone at a party drinks and you don’t you’ll feel pressured you should

Question 10

Evaluation- Peer influence research support researchers?

Answer 10

-The US national institute on drug abuse (NIDA)
-Fergusson & Horwood 1997
-Simons-Morton and Farhat

Question 11

Evaluation- Peer influence research support -The US national institute on drug abuse (NIDA)?

Answer 11

90% of US smokers started smoking as adolescents
Attributed mainly to observing and imitating peers
Suggests that the decision to start smoking is due in part to social learning factors

Question 12

Evaluation- Peer influence research support researchers
-Fergusson & Horwood 1997?

Answer 12

Peer attitudes to drug use are highly predictive of adolescent drug use

Question 13

Evaluation- Peer influence research support
-Simons-Morton and Farhat?

Answer 13

Looked at 40 prospective studies into the relationship between peers and smoking
Found that all but one showed a positive correlation between the two

Question 14

Evaluation- peer influences vs selection, what is peer influences?

Answer 14

Peers influence that individuals to engage in addictive behaviour

Question 15

Evaluation- peer influences vs selection, what is peer selection?

Answer 15

Weather individuals choose their friends because they also engage in behaviour

Question 16

Evaluation- peer influences vs selection, what did Ennett and Bauman find?

Answer 16

Participants that were non smokers at the start of a study who had smoking friends were more likely to smoke (peer influences)
Evidence of individual changing membership of friend groups to fill behaviour
-Both peer influence and selection are important process in addictive behaviour

Question 17

Evaluation- issues of peer influence and addiction, what does it fail to explain?

Answer 17

Independent addictions e.g. gambling
-Some addicts go to extreme lengths to hide their addictions
-Not all people who socialise with addicts develop an addiction individual differences play a role

Question 18

Evaluation- doesn’t explain the maintenance of addiction?

Answer 18

If peer influence is the sole cause of addiction , we should expect that as soon as the person no longer socialised with that peer group, the addictive behaviour would stop
-This isn’t the case with some addictions outlasting peer groups that first influenced them
-So likely another explanation

Question 19

Evaluation- doesn’t explain the maintenance of addiction, The institute of medicine?

Answer 19

No evidence for a peer influence on the development or maintenance of drug dependance

Question 20

Evaluation- methodological issues?

Answer 20

-Majority of studies in this area individuals used self report method and correlation research
-Peer groups is difficult to define as they are constantly changing

Question 21

Evaluation- methodological counter argument by Smith 2012?

Answer 21

Rats should more likely to self administer cocaine if they were with another that who had access to cocaine/compared with a rat if they didn’t