Learning Approach

Question 1

Smoking

Answer 1

Initiation - role models SLT proposes smoking as a consequence of social models - fear/desire social consequences

Maitanence -

Strong conditioned association between sensory aspects and reinforcing effects of nicotine
Smoking related sensory cues rapidly become conditioned stimuli and activate same brain areas

Relapse - conditioned cues - Hogarth craving significantly increased when smoking related stimuli presented

Mayeux et al - positive rel between 16 year old popularity and smoking

Thewissen - 33 smokers presented with cues predicting smoking, group to with none - 1st group had far greater urges

Question 2

Gambling

Answer 2

Initiation - operant conditioning - may be addicted to physiological reward, psychological reward, social reward and potential finical rewards
Gamblers not rational and far greater weight given to winning

Maitanence -
intermittent reinforcement - become used to long periods without reward
Social approach - peers and family members of problem gamblers more likely to approve - respondents who received this kind of praise continued in the future

Relapse -
Conditioned cues - associate other stimuli with gambling eg sight of casino which acts as a trigger
Approach/avoidance conflict - pos and neg consequences motivate desire to approach or quit which fluctuates

However gambling doesn’t always lead to problems - why?