PSYCHOLOGICAL EXPLANATIONS FOR ICD'S

Question 1

Summarise the psychological/behavioural explanation for impulse control disorders?

Answer 1

• It suggests that ICDs develop through operant conditioning, where positive reinforcement strengthens compulsive behaviors like gambling, stealing, or shopping.

Question 2

What is positive reinforcement, and how does it relate to ICDs?

Answer 2

• Positive reinforcement occurs when a behavior leads to a rewarding outcome, making it more likely to be repeated.

A gambler wins money → feels excited → repeats gambling to feel the same reward.
A person steals → feels a rush of excitement → repeats stealing to re-experience that feeling.

Question 3

What are schedules of reinforcement?

Answer 3

• Schedules of reinforcement** refer to how often and when rewards are given for a behaviour**.
• Continous reinforcement- behaviour is rewarded everytime it happens.
• Partial reinforcement- rewarding behaviours sometimes (addictive) 1) Fixed ratio- reward given after a set number of behaviours 2) Variable ratio- reward comes after an unpredictable number of behaviours

Question 4

What are schedules of reinforcement, and why are they important in ICDs?

Answer 4

• Schedules of reinforcement determine how often a behavior is rewarded, affecting how strong and persistent it becomes (variable ratio- gambling)

Question 5

What reinforcement schedule is most linked to gambling addiction?

Answer 5

• Variable Ratio Schedule – rewards (wins) are given after an unpredictable number of responses (bets), making gambling highly addictive (hope that the next attempt will be a win)
• This schedule makes these behaviours resistant to extiction- because the unpredictability of rewards keeps people engaged.

Question 6

How does reinforcement explain why ICDs (gambling disorder) continue even when they are harmful?

Answer 6

• Losses may be ignored or reframed (e.g., “I was so close to winning!”).
• Occasional wins strengthen the habit, making the gambler believe they can win again.

Question 7

Name 1 strength and 1 weakness of this explanation?

Answer 7

• Strength= Based on Well-Established Learning Theories. Operant conditioning (positive reinforcement and schedules of reinforcement) is a widely accepted psychological principle.
• Weakness= Reductionist- ignore biological factors (brain structure, memory)