Cognitive explanation for gambling addiction Flashcards
What are the explanations for gambling addiction
- cognitive theory
- learning theory
What is congitive theory of gambling based off of
- Expectancy
- coping
- self-efficacy
- cognitive bias
define expectancy as part of cognitive theory to explaining gambling
Expectany is the idea of the percieved benefits of gambling can be huge:
- they expect the benefits to outweigh the costs
- and/or unrealistic expectations about how gambling will help them cope with their emotions i.e. boost positive mood (provide excitement) and reduce negative moods (alleviate stress).
These expectations are distorted.
define coping as a part of cognitive theory to explain gambling
People engage in addictive behaviours to cope with stress in their lives.
Define self-efficacy as a part of cognitive theory to explain gambling
Self-efficacy refers to the expectations we have about our ability to achieve a desired outcome, and is a key element in relapse.
Explain self-efficacy as a part of cognitive theory to explain gambling relapse
Relapse happens because the person has a biased belief that they are not capable of abstaining permanently, so they expect to gamble again.
This sets up a self-fulfilling prophecy, in which the individual behaves in a way that confirms this expectation, which in turn is reinforced.
define cognitive bias as a part of cognitive theory to explaining gambling
- A distortion of attention, memory and thinking.
- It arises because of how we process the world, especially when we do it quickly.
- For instance we recall memories that confirm our esisting views and ignore others.
- This can sometimes lead to irrational judgements and poor decision-making.
briefly outline cognitive bias
- The focus stays on the positive aspect of behaviour (wins) and downplays the negative side.
- Gambling behaviours occur because reasoning is biased in many ways.
Who focused on exploring cognitive bias’ and what did they find
Wagenaar 1988, he found there were 16 distortions
list 6 of Wagenaar’s 16 distortions
- Availability bias
- confirmation bias
- concrete information bias
- hindsight bias
- flexible attribution
- illusion of control
Wagenaar’s 16 distortions
Describe availability distortion
with example
Memories of wins can be recalled more easily than losses.
e.g. forgetting you lost £50 when you won £5
Wagenaar’s 16 distortions
Describe confirmation bias
with example
Focusing on information that is consistent with a belief
e.g. such as being lucky
Wagenaar’s 16 distortions
describe concrete information bias
Focuses on events such as big wins and downplays calculations of losses.
Wagenaar’s 16 distortions
Describe hindsight bias
When a gamble looks back and says they expected whether the win or loss; this gives them a feeling of control - which they use to justify gambling
Wagenaar’s 16 distortions
define flexible attribution
with example
Wins are explained as due to their skill and losses due to other people’s influence.
e.g. seeing people as good or bad luck ergo making them stay or go
Wagenaar’s 16 distortions
describe illusion of control
with example
The feeling that gamblers have that they can exert control over an uncertain outcome.
e.g. having people blow on dice.
Who is the most important researcher (for AQA) on cognitive bias
Griffiths 1994
outline the procedure of Griffiths 1994
- Used the ‘thinking aloud’ method to compare the cognitive processes of regular slot machine gamblers and people who use the machines only occasionally.
- The participants verbalised any thoughts that passed through their minds as they played the machine.
- A content analysis classified these utterances into rational and irrational.
- A semi-structured interview was used to ask the participants about the degree of skill required to win on slot machines.
what is the thinking aloud method
a form of introspection
Give an example of rational comments from Griffiths 1994
‘wow, i won 10p’
give an example of an irrational comment from Griffiths 1994
‘this machine likes me’
outline the findings of Griffiths 1994
- He found there was no differences between regular and occasional gamblers in objective behavioural measures (e.g. the regulars didnt win more money)
- But regular gamblers made almost 6x as many irrational verbalisations than the occasionals.
- Regular gambler were more prone to illusion of control i.e. ‘im going to bluff this machine’
- Regular gamblers both overestimated the amount of skill required to win on slot machines and considered themselves to be especially skilful at doing so compared with the occasional gamblers.
Evaluate Griffiths 1994
- W - method - self-report method is used to study cognitive biases however alternative research (Dickerson and O’Conner 2006) has suggested that what people say in gambling situations does not necessarily represent their true beliefs which may lead to a misleading impression of gambler’s though processes which may mean the findings lack validity.
Evaluate cognitive theory as an explanation of gambling
- W - much of the research relies on the self-report method. Participants may struggle to vocalise their thoughts. This means that due to the required introspection this means that the area is difficult to research.
- W- it has been argued that many of the biases are hard to falsify and only specific to context which reduces its credibility as a scientific experiment
- W - it is not a complete explanation. - it is likely that social factors are involved in gambling becoming addictive, this may stem from a lack of money. This suggests that cognitive factors alone are not sufficient enough in explaining gambling addiction. This means that the approach is too reductionist by itself.
