B3 Flashcards
Gambling - Cognitive approach
(Initiation)
Cost-benefit analysis
The benefits (enjoyment, financial gain and feeling of control) often outweigh the costs (financial losses and anxiety) in gambling addicts.
Gambling - Cognitive approach
(Maintenance)
Irrational thoughts
Gamblers fallacy is the mistaken belief that if something happens more frequently than normal in a given period of time, then it is less frequent to happen in the future.
Gambling - Cognitive approach
(Maintenance)
Cognitive Bias
Griffiths- near miss-
When a gambles looses a bet they interpret this as a near miss. so instead of constantly loosing they are constantly nearly winning.
Gambling - Cognitive approach
(Maintenance)
Illusions of control and exaggeration of ability
Superstitious behvavioir (e.g. touching an item of clothing) and beliveing they have specialsed knowledge.
Gambling - Cognitive approach
(Relapse)
Recall bias and overestimation of success
Gambling addicts are more likely to remember the wins/successes and forget losses/failures. They also overestimate the benefits and underestimate the costs.
Gambling - Learning approach
(Initiation )
Social learning:
Observations and vicarious reinforcement of role models (including in the media e.g. the glamour of horse racing).
Gambling - Learning approach
(Initiation )
Classical conditioning
Neutral stimuli (flashing lights, bustling crowds, noise, etc.) eventually become conditioned stimuli after being repeatedly paired with unconditioned stimuli (winning money) and produce a conditioned response (excitement, tension) by themselves.
Gambling - Learning approach
(Maintenance)
Positive reinforcement
‘Buzz’, ‘big wins’ and near-misses.
Gambling - Learning approach
(Maintenance)
Negative reinforcement
Escape from reality/anxiety relief.
Gambling - Learning approach
(Maintenance)
Partial reinforcement
Occurs when only some instances of behaviour are rewarded. Skinner (1948) showed that this causes the behaviour to persist for longer than continuous reinforcement.
Gambling - Learning approach
(Maintenance)
Variable reinforcement
A type of partial reinforcement. A highly unpredictable pattern of reinforcement the gambler cannot be sure when the reward will appear so they continue until place bets.
Gambling - Learning approach
(Relapse )
Cure reactivity
Conditioned cues/secondary reinforcers are everywhere in the social and media environment (e.g. walking past a betting shop, colourful scratchcards, flashy casinos, busy websites, etc.). They are low-level reminders of the pleasures of gambling associated with physiological and emotional arousal and are therefore significant risk factors for relapse.
Shopping- Learning approach
(Initiation)
Role models and vicarious reinforcement:
Influence behaviour.
Shopping- Learning approach
(Initiation)
Celebrities and advertisements
Vicarious reinforcement and identification with ‘down to earth’ celebrities.
Shopping- Learning approach
(Maintenance )
Positive reinforcement
Excitement, pleasure, fun, status, praise.
Shopping- Learning approach
(Maintenance )
Adrenaline rush and rewards
Dopamine is released from the nucleus accumbens into the frontal lobe when we buy something.
Shopping- Learning approach
(Maintenance )
Negative reinforcement:
Escape from feelings of emptiness after a shopping spree.
Shopping- Learning approach
(Relapse )
Cues associated with shopping
Conditioned cues/secondary reinforcers are everywhere in the social and media environment (e.g. high street shops, TV and social media adverts, websites etc.). They are low-level reminders of the pleasures of shopping associated with physiological and emotional arousal and are therefore significant risk factors for relapse (cue reactivity).
Shopping- Learning approach
(Relapse )
Relief from withdrawal symptoms
Anxiety, depression, emptiness, boredom, guilt
Shopping- Cognitive approach
(Initiation)
Excitement and relief from boredom
Shopping- Cognitive approach
(Initiation)
Psychological problems, distress and lack of self-esteem
Khantzian (1985) argued childhood trauma (e.g. abuse) can be brought to the surface by the stress of a major life event (e.g. divorce) which may lead to mental disorders (e.g. depression). Such mental disorders are associated with emotional distress and low self-esteem so the individual self-medicates by compulsively shopping.
Shopping- Cognitive approach
(Maintenance )
Reduction of anxiety
Compulsive shopping can create debt which in turn can create anxiety so the addict turns to shopping to relieve such feelings.
Shopping- Cognitive approach
(Maintenance )
Continuation of boredom
Shopping relieves their anxiety,provides excitement and allows them to forget theri everday lives. Elliot called this the mood repair function of shoppping.
Shopping- Cognitive approach
(Relapse)
Effects of withdrawal
Distress, boredom and loneliness
Shopping- Cognitive approach
(Relapse)
Breakdown of coping strategies:
This is the paradox of self medication. Khantzian believed that the compulsive shoppers need to find a different way to deal wo=ith the underlying problem e.g. increasing self esteem
