Explanations for gambling addiction: Cognitive theory Flashcards
Expectations: Initiation of gambling
We all have expectations about the future benefits and costs of our behaviour. People start gambling because they expect benefits to outweigh costs
Some may have unrealistic expectations about how gambling will help them cope with emotions (e.g provide excitement and alleviate stress)
Distorted expectations may lead to addiction
Cognitive biases: Maintenance of gambling
Gamblers continue to gamble (and progress to addiction) because of their mistaken beliefs about chance and luck
These biases influence how gamblers think about their behaviour, what they do/do not pay attention to and what they remember/forget
Heuristics
The variable ratio schedule helps gamblers continue despite losses, but they may become aware that they are loosing control or that they are in trouble
They can rationalize losses using mental shortcuts or heuristics, such as biases or only remembering wins. These heuristics can be subtle or even significant, depending on the situation.
EG: Hindsight bias - I knew this was going to happen
Erroneous perceptions - Its not gambling, I have skills
Personification - That machine is out to get me
Debra Rickwood et al classified cognitive biases into four categories..
- explain each one
Skill and judgement - gambling addicts have an illusion of control and overestimate their skill against chance
Personality traits/ritual behaviours - addicts believe they are especially lucky or engage in superstitious behaviour
Selective recall - gamblers remember their wins but ignore/forget their losses
Faulty perceptions - gamblers have distorted views of chance i.e they believe that losing streak cannot last
Self efficacy - relapse after abstaining
Refers to the expectations we have about our ability to achieve a desired outcome
A person may have a biased belief that they are not capable of abstaining permanently
Self fulfilling prophecy - they expect to relapse, they do so, which reinforces their biased belief
Griffiths: Cognitive biases study -> procedure
Thinking out loud method (a form of introspection) to compare cognitive processes of regular slot machine gamblers and occasional users
Content analysis was use to classify their utterances into rational or irrational
Interviews were also used to explore participants’ perceptions of the skill required to win
Griffiths: Cognitive biases study -> findings
Found rational and irrational won and lost about the same amount
Regular gamblers made almost six times as many irrational verbalisation e.g ‘The machine likes me’ compared to occasional gamblers (14% vs 2.5%)
Regular gamblers were also prone to illusion of control (‘I’m going to bluff this machine’) and overestimated the skill required to win
What are the two strengths in using the cognitive theory in explaining gambling addiction?
Support for the role of cognitive biases
Further support for cognitive biases
EVALUATION: Support for the role of cognitive biases
P - One strength is that there is support for the role of cognitive biases
E -30 addicts of gambling were compared to a control group by Michalczuk et al. There were higher gambling-related cognitive biases (such as illusions of control) in the gamblers.
E - Additionally, gamblers tended to be more impulsive and to choose instant gratification above gains that would come from waiting, even if the rewards were lower.
L - These results lend support to the theory that gambling addiction has a significant cognitive component.
COUNTERPOINT TO THE SUPPORT
The study reveals that high scores in a cognitive bias questionnaire may indicate frequent biased cognitions, but it’s unclear what this means, as it could also indicate a gambler’s belief-based behaviour.
Therefore the findings of the study may not reflect a gambler’s actual beliefs about gambling
EVALUATION: Further support for cognitive biases
P - There is further support for cognitive biases
E - McCusker and Gettings applied a stroop task modification. Participants were required to ignore the word meanings and identify the colour of the ink used to print the words
E - Gamblers were slower than non gamblers at this exercise, but only when the words were related with gambling; they were unable to stop word meanings from interfering with the task.
E - This shows that information related to gambling is given more attention by gamblers than by non gamblers, suggesting that gamblers have a cognitive bias
What is one limitation of using the cognitive theory to explain gambling addiction
Use of thinking aloud in research
EVALUATION: Use of thinking aloud research
P - One limitation is using thinking aloud method in research
E - According to Dickerson and O’Conner, gamblers’ off cut remarksmade during sessions don’t accurately represent their deeply heldviews on skill and chance.
E - Thus, it is possible for researchers to mistakenly believe that gamblers’ thought processes are illogical when in fact they are not.
L - Consequently, since gamblers’ statements may not accurately reflect their thoughts, the results could not be accurate.
Weakness 2: Causality
Secondly, it is important to point out that the cognitive distortions may not cause addiction.
In other words, the causality of distortions has not been established.
There is definitely a correlation between cognitive biases and gambling addiction, but the cause-and-effect relationship is difficult to prove.
It may be that gambling causes cognitive distortions rather than the reverse.
Weakness 1: Individual differences
The cognitive approach does not take into account individual differences.
It tries to explain all gambling addiction as due to cognitive distortions (nomothetic)
But there could be other reasons, such as genetics or biochemical, that cause people to become addicted to gambling.
