Explanations for gambling addiction: learning theory

Question 1

reinforcement definition

Answer 1

a consequence of behaviour that increases the likelihood of behaviour being repeated can be positive or negative

Question 2

partial reinforcement definition

Answer 2

behaviour is reinforced only some of the time it occurs such as every 10th time

Question 3

variable reinforcement definition

Answer 3

type of partial reinforcement in which a behaviour is reinforced after a unpredictable period of time or number of responses

Question 4

what is the first component of learning theory for gambling addiction

Answer 4

vicarious reinforcement

Question 5

what is vicarious reinforcement in gambling addiction

Answer 5

experience of seeing others being rewarded for their gambling through pleasure, enjoyment and occasionally money

Question 6

how does vicarious reinforcement have to be observed in gambling addiction

Answer 6

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

Question 7

what are the 2 types of reinforcement in gambling addiction

Answer 7

-positive reinforcement
-negative reinforcement

Question 8

what can positive reinforcement involve in a gambling addiction

Answer 8

winning money, and the buzz that accompanies gambling as it is exciting

Question 9

what can negative reinforcement be in gambling

Answer 9

extent that it offers a distraction from aversive stimuli such as the anxieties of everyday life

Question 10

what type of reinforcement did Skinner show with the rats

Answer 10

continuous reinforcement

Question 11

what does a continuous reinforcement schedule mean

Answer 11

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

Question 12

what does a partial reinforcement schedule create

Answer 12

creates the kind of persistent behaviour seen in gambling

Question 13

what does gambling show about some types of persistent behaviour schedule

Answer 13

• 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

Question 14

what happens under a variable reinforcement schedule

Answer 14

behaviour is reinforced intermittently, this produces the most persistent learning. a reward is given after an unpredictable amount of responses

Question 15

example of a variable reinforcement schedule

Answer 15

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

Question 16

length of learning on variable reinforcement schedule

Answer 16

takes longer to be established but once it has been its more resistant to extinction

Question 17

example of a variable reinforcement schedule on gambling

Answer 17

can go for many spins without a payout, but the gambler continues to play for along time even if the behaviour is reinforced

Question 18

what does a variable reinforcement schedule help to explain in gambling addiction

Answer 18

why some people continue to gamble despite big losses , gamblers will not win every game but will eventually if they persist

Question 19

how can cue reactivity be used to explain gambling addiction

Answer 19

experienced gamblers encounter many secondary reinforcers, stimuli that become reinforcing because of their associations with exciting arousal

Question 20

example of secondary reinforcers of gambling (cue reactivity)

Answer 20

-atmosphere of betting shop
-colourful look of lottery scratchcards
-TV horse-racing channel
-exciting sounds of internet betting sites

Question 21

how can secondary reinforcers case gambling addiction

Answer 21

cue arousal that the gambler craves even before they place a bet

Question 22

why do secondary reinforcers make it difficult for gamblers to abstain from gambling

Answer 22

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

Question 23

strength of learning theory as an explanation for gambling addiction - research support

Answer 23

-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

Question 24

limitation of of learning theory as an explanation for gambling addiction - counterpoint to research support

Answer 24

-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

Question 25

limitation of learning theory as an explanation for gambling addiction - limited explanation

Answer 25

-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

Question 26

strength of learning theory as an explanation for gambling addiction - explains failure to stop

Answer 26

-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

Question 27

evaluation of learning theory as an explanation for gambling addiction - cycle of addiction

Answer 27

-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