Lecture 2 & 3 Flashcards
What is the difference between Pavlovian & Instrumental conditioning?
once more, cuz no doubt they’ll ask a lot of questions about this
- Pavlovian = Behavioural change due to conditioned stimulus relationship (CS-US = bell-food)
- Instrumental = Behavioural change due to the relationship between the instrumental response & outcome (R-O, reinforcement)
Note that the US/O has to be motivationally relevant & that instrumental behaviour can be goal-directed or habitual
How does the field experiment of snacking habits (cinema/popcorn) showcase two important factors of habitual behaviour?
Neal et al.
Participants either got fresh or stale popcorn > amount of popcorn eaten is measured > people are either low, moderate or high habit:
- Within the cinema context; high habit participants ate (statistically) the same amount of popcorn, regardless of freshness (as opposed to the others, that ate significantly less when it was stale)
- Indicates that habitual behaviour is not dependent on current desired outcome
Note that all participants ate less stale popcorn in the meeting room context
- Indicates that habitual behaviour is dependent on context
Only bold is important, rest is context
Is addiction habitual or goal-driven? That is to say, can habits drive compulsive drug seeking?
Trick question, it depends on who you ask:
- Incentive-Sensitization theory = no (Berridge & Robinson)
- Habit account = yes (Everitt & Robbins)
What is the habit account (of addiction) by Everitt & Robbins?
I might have asked this already, but I forget
Aberrantly strong habits + impaired cognitive control mediate the transition from goal-directed, recreational substance use towards compulsive substance abuse
Aberrant = atypical
As of the lecture, how does one go from initial drug use to abuse, neurobiologically? (3)
- Initial drug use = PFC, mesolimbic dopamine pathway (craving + goal-directed drug-seeking)
- Drug habits = Nigrostriatal dopamine pathway
- Abuse/addiction = PFC dysfunction (compulsive behaviour)
What are the three dopamine pathways?
- Mesolimbic (ventral tegmental area > nucleus accumbens)
- Nigrostriatal (substantia nigra > posterior putamen)
- Mesocortical (ventral tegmental area > PFC)
Which theory can account for the lower relapse rates in Vietnam soldiers compared to relapse in individuals returning from a drug rehab center where they were treated for heroin use?
Both the incentive-sensitization theory & habit theory account for context:
- Habit = certain stimuli trigger automatic behaviour (through reinforcement)
- Incentive = drug cues elicit “wanting” (but the CS here was Vietnam, not their home)
note that habit = instrumental & incentive = pavlovian
also habit = law of effect (basically)
Consider three graphs:
1. # of lever presses valuable outcome > devalued outcome
2. # of lever presses devalued outcome > valuable outcome
3. # of lever presses valuable outcome = devalued outcome
Which graph indicates goal-directed behaviour and which indicates habitual responding?
- Graph 1 = Goal-directed outcome
- Graph 3 = Habitual response
graph 2 is some weird shit
How do dual-process models account for both goal-directed behaviour and S-R habits?
Both exist, but they serve different purposes and goal-directed can transition to habit (with behavioural repetition)
Which circuits are suggested to be important for the balance between goal-directed and habitual control?
in humans
Corticostriatal circuits (basically connect all of the areas implicated in goal-directed/habit behaviour)
Which subcortical brain region has been most strongly implicated in goal-directed action?
Caudate (note that the vmPFC is a cortical brain region)
What paradigm can be used to determine whether drug seeking is habitual or goal-directed?
Outcome-devaluation paradigm
What evidence is there for drug habits? (4)
Indirect:
- Cue reactivity (activation of striatal habit region)
- Self-report (habit index)
Like, semi-direct(?):
- Outcome-devaluation paradigm
- Other experimental studies (mostly in animals)
What would a result graph of a group (of rats) receiving long instrumental training + dorsolateral striatum inactivation look like? What does this indicate?
include results for saline (no inactivation) & inactivation
Corbit et al.
Training without inactivation (saline)
- Devalued & non-devalued reward score the same
Training with deactivation:
- Non-devalued > devalued score
Goal-directed transition to insensitive habit + dorsolateral involvement
The devaluation of food pellets reduced lever pressing more than devaluation of alcohol, what does this result indicate?
Dickinson, Wood & Smith
Supports the idea that habit formation is accelerated with an alcohol reward (cocaine has also been shown to follow this pattern)
The Fabulous Fruits Game is a task/paradigm used to test what in addiction? What do the results generally support?
- Tests reliance on rigid habits (in addicts)
- Results suggest that addicts have a relatively strong habit tendency
Is habit tendency a consequence of drug use or a vulnerability factor?
As of animal studies, it seems that substance exposure (at least, alcohol and amphetamine) leads to a general habit tendency
So like, is that generalizable to humans? Who knows
Are drug habits compulsive? Evidence in favour or against?
They can be; a sub-group of rats, after extensive training, continued to self-administer cocaine in relatively large amounts, even when they got punished for doing so (electrical shock)
- Only present in a small proportion (as in humans, ~20%)
- Predictive of relapse/reinstatement after withdrawal
Do you think these poor rats receive treatment for their addiction or are they just fucked for life?
In summary, what four factors provide support for the role of habits in addiction?
- Drug seeking becomes habitual with repetition
- Accelerated habit formation for drug rewards (relative to natural rewards)
- Substance abuse leads to a general tendency to fall back on rigid habits
- Drug habits can be compulsive
What are critiques against animal research into drug habits (besides it being animal abuse)? (2)
Most animal studies (addiction) are conducted in a highly impoverished context (only drug reward available)
- sweet solution alternative is more readily taken if offered + early social play/interacting with fellow rats = protective factors
Animal models fail to capture the unique capacity for language and long-term goals in humans
- Fancy words for not generalizable
Rat abuse = rat addiction
Critical notes against human research into drug habits? (5)
- Limits to existing experimental models of habits in humans
- Challenge of interpreting self-report
- Many may describe drug compulsion as habit, others report being driven by cravings
- Substance abuse can give rise to cognitive dissonance (conflict desire-behaviour)
- Cogntive dissonance can lead to post-hoc rationalization of one’s behaviour (e.g., craving)
What are stimulus control, stimulus-response prevention and response consequences?
Self-control measures, respectively:
- Avoids places/situations/people that pose substance use risk
- In high risk situations, client tries alternative behaviour
- If goal is achieved/not, they will receive a reward/punishment (kinky)
positive response consequences = contingency management
What is functional analysis in the context of substance use?
Analysis/identification of functionality of drug use:
- Identify external (people, places, times) & internal (thoughts, feelings) triggers
- How is the substance used (period of time, consumption)
- Positive & negative consequences of use
The lecture mentions eight different types of interventions, which are these?
- Prepare for change (increase motivation, MI)
- Setting goals (in SMART formulation)
- Self-control measures
- Functional analysys
- Relapse/emergecy measures
- Dealing with craving
- Changing thoughts
- Declining/refusing offered substances
9 if you count the first “registering substance use/craving”
What is “urge surfing”?
It is a way to deal with cravings;
- Acknoledgement of having one
- Noticing thoughts/feelings without trying to change/suppress them
- Remind yourself that it is normal, okay, not a must and temporary
What is the Minnesota Model (addiction treatment)?
Abstinence-oriented, comprehensive approach to treatment of addictions.
- Based on AA, thus group therapy
- Roots in disease concept of addiction (thus recovery, not cure)
Main differences between ACT/Minnesota Model and CBT? (4)
- CBT focuses on behaviour and triggers
- CBT focuses on learning new coping strategies
- ACT focuses on psych flexibility (mindfulness) and is broader than just addictive behaviour
- Minnesota Model focuses on reconnecting with self/others and integrates physical/emotional/spiritual process of addiction
