Psychology B2 - physiological addiction

Question 1

classical conditioning

Answer 1

-learn to associate smoking with other activities
-environment full of signals associated with smoking
-develops between sensations in smoking and its pleasure - conditioned stimuli
-example, smell of smoke, pub etc. associated with smoking
-triggers response without delivery of nicotine in brain

Question 2

operant conditioning

Answer 2

-encouraged or reinforced
-try to quit, punished by withdrawal symptoms comes quicker than better health
-relapsing gets rid of symptoms, negative reinforcement
-reward = instant, takes years to be aware of impact

Question 3

social learning theory

Answer 3

-patterns of behaviour of parents, siblings etc. affect smoking/alcohol use
-relates to learnt behaviour from environment

Question 4

vicarious reinforcement

Answer 4

-learning through observation of the consequences of actions from others
-smoking can create a bond wit other smokers - social
-friends smoke, if you quit it is awkward, see it as a criticism of habit

Question 5

relapse: conditioned cues and self-efficacy

Answer 5

-pleasurable effect = PRIMARY REINFORCER
-smoking is accompanied by SECONDARY REINFORCERS or CONDITIONED CUES, become associated with primary reinforce

Question 6

practical uses
(evaluation)
+

Answer 6

-has practical benefits, stop smoking
-several treatment programmes
-example, aversion therapy - counter conditions addiction by associating pleasure with something unpleasant
-Smith and Caldwell (1989), 52% of pps in programme still abstaining one year later
-cost-effective and improve quality of life – programmes

Question 7

support for effectiveness
(evaluation)
+

Answer 7

-support for conditioned cues in nicotine addiction
-example, review, 41 studies - presented non-smokers and smokers with images of smoking cues
-smokers acted strongly to images, physiological arousal, cravings - Carter and Tiffany (1999)
-consistent with predictions about cues, predisposes them to relapse

Question 8

limited effectiveness
(evaluation)
-

Answer 8

-learning approach, cannot explain nicotine addiction
-claims observational learning and vicarious reinforcement are powerful initiators
-only 50% of adolescents who start smoking become addicted - some smoke occasionally, don’t withdraw
-several causes of smoking initiation and maintenance