Reducing addiction: Behavioural interventions AD

Question 1

Behavioural interventions

Answer 1

any treatment based on behaviourist principles of learning such as classical and operant conditioning

Question 2

Aversion therapy

Answer 2

a behavioural treatment based on classical conditioning. A maladaptive behaviour is paired with an unpleasant stimulus such as a painful electric shock.

Question 3

Covert sensitisation

Answer 3

A form of aversion therapy based on classical conditioning. A client imagines an unpleasant stimulus and associates it with the maladaptive behaviour.

Question 4

Aversion therapy description

Answer 4

counterconditioning

Question 5

Aversion therapy for alcohol addiction

Answer 5

Treats alcoholism:
* Client given aversive drug like disulfiram
* Interferes with metabolising alcohol
* If alcohol is ingested then they will experience severe nausea and vomiting

The treatment’s aim is for the client to learn a new association.

Question 6

Aversion therapy for gambling addiction

Answer 6

Treating behavioural addictions:
* Associating an electric shock with addiction
* Shocks do not cause permanent damage but they are painful

An addicted gambler writes phrases on cards. The client then reads the phrases and any gambling-related phrase they say they receive a 2 second electric shock.

After repeated pairings, the pain (unconditioned response) becomes associated with gambling, the clients cravings subside and they stop gambling.

Question 7

methodological problems for aversion therapy

Answer 7

• Hajek and Stead reviewed 25 studies of aversion therapy for nicotine addiction
• Impossible to judge the effectiveness
• Failure to ‘blind’ the procedure
• Could have influenced researchers judgments of success
  Tells us little about research therapy

Question 8

poor long term effectiveness for aversion therapy

limitation

Answer 8

• Fuller et al gave one group of
• alcoholics disulfiram and one group a placebo
• Both groups had weekly counselling sessions for 6 months
• NO significant difference in abstinence from drinking after 1 year
  Counselling may have a bigger impact

Question 9

covert sensitisation description

Answer 9

This is a newer type of aversion therapy that rather than experiencing the unpleasant stimulus, the clients imagines how it would feel.

Question 10

Covert sensitisation in practice

Answer 10

• Client is asked to relax
• Therapist reads from script encouraging client to imagine an aversitive situation
• Client seeing themselves smoking then imagining unpleasant consequence like nausea
• Therapist goes into graphic detail about the elements eg like the cigarette being covered in poo

Question 11

McMurran

Answer 11

reports a habitual user of slot machines who has a phobia of snakes imagining snakes coming out of the slot machines.

Question 12

Research support -
Support for covert sensitisation

strength

Answer 12

• McConaghy et al compared covert sensitisation and electric shock aversion therapy for gambling addiction
• After 1 year those with CS were more likely to reduce their gambling by 90%
• CS participants also reported experiencing fewer and less intense cravings
  CS is a highly promising behavioural intervention.

Question 13

Methodological criticism -
Do not have suitable comparison group

Answer 13

• Studies often omit non-behavioural therapies as comparison group
• Just compare the 2 together
• Addiction has many non-learning causes
• Non-behavioural therapies address these
  Benefits of CS may be exaggerated.