Explanations for gambling addiction: learning theory Flashcards
reinforcement definition
a consequence of behaviour that increases the likelihood of behaviour being repeated can be positive or negative
partial reinforcement definition
behaviour is reinforced only some of the time it occurs such as every 10th time
variable reinforcement definition
type of partial reinforcement in which a behaviour is reinforced after a unpredictable period of time or number of responses
what is the first component of learning theory for gambling addiction
vicarious reinforcement
what is vicarious reinforcement in gambling addiction
experience of seeing others being rewarded for their gambling through pleasure, enjoyment and occasionally money
how does vicarious reinforcement have to be observed in gambling addiction
doesn’t have to be direct observation of other people’s behaviour can be through newspapers, magazines and other media report positively on big lottery winners, or broadcast excitement of horse racing. this could trigger a desire for the same reinforcement in someone who has;t gambled
what are the 2 types of reinforcement in gambling addiction
-positive reinforcement
-negative reinforcement
what can positive reinforcement involve in a gambling addiction
winning money, and the buzz that accompanies gambling as it is exciting
what can negative reinforcement be in gambling
extent that it offers a distraction from aversive stimuli such as the anxieties of everyday life
what type of reinforcement did Skinner show with the rats
continuous reinforcement
what does a continuous reinforcement schedule mean
which rewards every correct response form the animal but does not lead to persistent behaviour. With this schedule, once the reward stops so does the behaviour
what does a partial reinforcement schedule create
creates the kind of persistent behaviour seen in gambling
what does gambling show about some types of persistent behaviour schedule
- in some types of partial reinforcement (such as variable reinforcement) only some bets are rewarded which creates an unpredictability about which gambles will pay off . this is enough to maintain gambling even when most gambles are not rewarded
what happens under a variable reinforcement schedule
behaviour is reinforced intermittently, this produces the most persistent learning. a reward is given after an unpredictable amount of responses
example of a variable reinforcement schedule
slot machine may pay out on an average of 8 spins but not one the 8th spin so may come out on the 3rd spin the first time and then the 4th the next time
length of learning on variable reinforcement schedule
takes longer to be established but once it has been its more resistant to extinction
example of a variable reinforcement schedule on gambling
can go for many spins without a payout, but the gambler continues to play for along time even if the behaviour is reinforced
what does a variable reinforcement schedule help to explain in gambling addiction
why some people continue to gamble despite big losses , gamblers will not win every game but will eventually if they persist
how can cue reactivity be used to explain gambling addiction
experienced gamblers encounter many secondary reinforcers, stimuli that become reinforcing because of their associations with exciting arousal
example of secondary reinforcers of gambling (cue reactivity)
-atmosphere of betting shop
-colourful look of lottery scratchcards
-TV horse-racing channel
-exciting sounds of internet betting sites
how can secondary reinforcers case gambling addiction
cue arousal that the gambler craves even before they place a bet
why do secondary reinforcers make it difficult for gamblers to abstain from gambling
cues are everywhere in social and media environments, so are difficult for gamblers to avoid. they offer continuous low-level reminders of the pleasures of gambling, so make relapse a fairly predictable outcome for most
strength of learning theory as an explanation for gambling addiction - research support
-research support from outside the lab situation
-dickerson (1979) observed the behaviour in two betting officers in Birmingham. he compared gamblers who placed the most bets on horse racers which were high frequency gamblers those who were low frequency. high frequency gamblers were consistently more likely to place a bet in the last 2 mins before a race, the reason for this is the build-up is exciting regardless of the result, especially for dependent gamblers. as the excitment is rewarding they may have been delayed in betting to prolong it –> evidence for the role of positive reinforcemnet in gamblibg in a real-world settting rather than in a lab
limitation of of learning theory as an explanation for gambling addiction - counterpoint to research support
-study had methodological issues
-gambling behaviour was directly observer in betting shops over a period of 14 weeks by one observer. because there was a single observer there was no way of checking the reliability of the observations. the usual method is to have two observers and measure the agreement between them (inter-observer reliability) but this was not done in the study
–> therefore the observer bias was eliminated and the findings of the study may not be valid
limitation of learning theory as an explanation for gambling addiction - limited explanation
-learning theory struggles to explain some types of gambling
-learning theory can explain gambling addiction in games where there is almost no delay between placing the bet and knowing the outcome. but it is harder for learning theory to explain addiction to gambling in which the outcome is known some time after placing the bet. this is because the reward (outcome) come a long time after the behaviour (betting), so conditioning should be less effective –> therefore, learning theory is limited because it does not provide a general explanation of all gambling addiction
strength of learning theory as an explanation for gambling addiction - explains failure to stop
-explains why most gamblers cannot stop gambling
-learning theory not only explains why gambling addiction starts but also how it is maintained, conditioning (learning) is an automatic process. it does not require a gambler to make any active decisions. he or she is not even aware that they are learning to be addicted. so even though most addicted gamblers are extremely determined to give up, they fail over and over again. this could be due to conscious desire to give up may conflict with the conditioning process that drive them to continue gambling
evaluation of learning theory as an explanation for gambling addiction - cycle of addiction
-gambling addiction for many is a cycle of initiation, maintenance, cessation and relapse. learning theorists believe they can explain the whole of this cycle. Addiction begins through vicarious reinforcement.Brown (1987) suggests that the reinforcement schedules explain the persistence of gambling addiction. cue reactivity explains why so many addicted gamblers relapse after abstaining
-however, other psychologists believe parts if the cycle are poorly explained by learning theory. Brown suggests that learning theory actually struggles to explain how gambling addiction begins. after all, many people dabble with gambling and experience the same reinforcement as addicted people. this implied other factors may be involved
