Reducing addiction: Covert sensitisation Flashcards
What is covert sensitisation?
A variation of aversion therapy which draws on the same principles of classical conditioning in which positive associations to addictions are replaced with negative associations.
How does it differ from aversion therapy?
In aversion therapy, the client actually experiences a new negative association in real life (in vivo), but in covert sensitisation, the negative associations between the previous conditioned stimulus and a new unconditioned stimulus to produce a new conditioned response are imagined (in vitro)
How might covert sensitisation be used for gambling?
Phobias are often incorporated to elicit the necessary reactions.
So a gambling addict could be asked to imagine playing a slot machine that is covered in spiders or snakes.
It is hoped that with consecutive sessions, the client will associate the slot machines with the phobia.
COVERT SENSITISATION: Research evidence?
McCONAGHY et al (1983) compared aversion therapy with covert sensitisation to treat gambling addiction. Although both were effective in removing the urge to gamble, covert sensitisation was more so. A follow-up at 1 year found 90% of those receiving covert sensitisation had reduced their gambling activity compared to only 30% of those who received aversion therapy.
COVERT SENSITISATION: Ethical issues?
As this form of therapy is not actually causing physically harmful effects on the people using it, it is less of an issue than traditional aversion therapy that is requires the person to be physically affected for it to work. This means covert sensitisation will be accessible to more people
COVERT SENSITISATION: Limited treatment?
It only addresses the behavioural aspect of addictions and may not resolve the underlying problem.
If the addictions arise, for example due to ‘cognitive biases’ then this is not being directly dealt with so the addictive desire may persist even if the behaviour itself is seen to be extinguished via the therapy.
COVERT SENSITISATION: Scientific?
For example, due to the stimulus-response learning used in covert sensitisation, the addictive behaviour before the therapy can be recorded objectively as can the behaviour changes after the therapy( as the newly learned response)
