Dopamine EVAL

Question 1

What are the four main eval points?

Answer 1

Not all addictive behaviours increase dopamine levels, complexity of the role of dopamine, methodological issues, non human animal studies.

Question 2

Not all addictive behaviours increase dopamine levels study and findings?

Answer 2

Stokes et al(2009)- found no increase in dopamine levels for people taking cannabis, Yoder et al (2007)- found no increase in dopamine for people given alcohol. Therefore dopamine does not explain all addictions.

Question 3

Complexity of the role of dopamine

Answer 3

Dopamine has a range of functions, helps us avoid something unpleasant, not just reward. “Kim Kardashian of neurotransmitters”- Bell (2013), blame dopamine for causing a range of problems when its more complicated than that.

Question 4

Study showing dopamine is linked to other feelings apart from reward.

Answer 4

Liberzon et al(1999)- increased dopamine in war veterans suffering from PTSD when battle sounds played.

Question 5

What are the methodological issues with dopamine?

Answer 5

Samples are small so may not be generalisable to public. When given the substance it is usually in a different form e.g nicotine inhalers rather than a fag. The environment is different e.g lab instead of natural setting which may change behaviour. Usually with friends, company different, not accurate.

Question 6

Non-human animal studies

Answer 6

Good because it can study effects on drugs that we couldn’t do with humans because of ethics. However, doesn’t include social contexts and replicate some addictions, e.g gambling. Therefore not generalisable to all humans or all addictions.