Biological Approach to Gambling Flashcards
What do the biological models of addiction emphasise?
The biological models of addiction emphasise the influence of genetic and neurochemical factors in onset, maintenance and relapse of addictive behaviour
Biological Approach to Gambling
Initiation
How does the Biological Approach to Gambling explain the initiation of gambling behaviour?
The Biological Approach to Gambling believes that genetics play a strong role in the initiation of gambling behaviour. It believes that pathological gambling runs in families
Biological Approach to Gambling
Initiation
Key Studies
Shah et al 2005
Black et al 2006
Biological Approach to Gambling
Initiation
This view is supported by Shah et al 2005..
This view is supported by Shah et al 2005 who found evidence of genetic transmission of gambling in men
Biological Approach to Gambling
Initiation
This view is also supported by Black et al 2006..
This view is also supported by Black et al 2006 who found that first digree relatives of pathological gamblers were more likely to suffer from pathological gambling that more distant relatives
Biological Approach to Gambling
Initiation
What does this show?
Although this is evidence of a strong genetic link, it cannot be ignored that environmental influences may also play a role in the initiaiton of gambling behaviour. The biological approach also doesn’t account for why people without relatives that gamble become addicted
Biological Approach to Gambling
Evaluation
Environmental experiences and life pressures
The Biological Approach to Gambling addiction can explain why some people initiate pathological gambling yet others who have the same environmental experiences and life pressures do not. This is because some people are more vulnerable to developing an addiction such as gambling because of a genetic predisposition. This idea of genetic vulnerability may also explain why some people are more resistant to treatment and more likely to relapse
Biological Approach to Gambling
Maintenance
How does the Biological Approach to Gambling explain the maintenance of gambling behaviour?
The Biological Approach to Gambling suggests that the maintenance of pathological gambling is associated with an underactive pituitary-adrenal response to gambling, which means that they do not feel stress while gambling and therefore maintain gambling behaviour
Biological Approach to Gambling
Maintenance
Key Studies
Paris et al 2010
Zuckerman 1979
Biological Approach to Gambling
Maintenance
This view is supported by Paris et al 2010…
This view is supported by Paris et al 2010 who meausured gambler’s cortisol levels before and after watching videos of their preffered gambing method and compared this with their cortisol levels before and after and after watching a video of neutral stimuli and found that recreational gamblers cortisol levels increased after both videos whereas pathological gamblers had no increase after either video. This is important evidence to support this explanation as it is empirical evidence and therefore is scientific and plausible?
Biological Approach to Gambling
Maintenance
Zuckerman 1979 also proposed …
Zuckerman 1979 also proposed the idea of sensation seeking as a reason for the maintenance of gambling behaviour. He claimed that there are individual differences in the need for stimular. Sensation seekers look for varied or novel experiences, have lower appreciation of risk and anticipate arousal as more positive than low sensation seekers, and therefore are more likely to gamble
Biological Approach to Gambling
Maintenance
Sensation seeking
However this has been shown to differ depending on the type of gambling. Bonnaire et al 2006 tested the sensation-seeking explanation in two groups of pathological gamblers; one group who played games available in cafes eg rapido and one group who bet on horses at the racetrack. Pathological gamblers who bet at the racetracks had significantly higher scores on sensation seeking than those who played games available in cafes.
