Unit 3 - LAB3 - Non-Physiological Addiction (SHOPPING) Flashcards
Name the two types of shopping addiction
Impulsive shopping and Compulsive shopping
Define impulsive shopping
Unplanned purchases due to a sudden desire for an item
Name one positive effect of shopping addiction
Boosts self-esteem and makes the purchaser feel good
Define compulsive shopping
Pre-planned and carried out to escape negative feelings
Name one negative effect of shopping addiction
Undermining trust with significant others / causing relationship breakdown
The learning approach suggests that people learn from…
Interaction with the environment and by imitating role models
What does the learning approach suggest about people who wear fashionable clothes and drive expensive cars?
They are rewarded and positively reinforced in society
What two forms of learning does celebrity endorsement use?
Vicarious reinforcement and Classical conditioning
What did Knoll and Matthes (2017) find out about the use of celebrities in adverts?
Shoppers’ attitudes towards a product were significantly more positive when a celebrity was used to advertise the product
How does Knoll and Matthes (2017) research highlight the role of Learning Theory in shopping addiction?
Shoppers’ attitudes towards a product were significantly more positive when a celebrity was used to advertise the product
What did Dittmar (2005) look at?
Gender differences in shopping behaviour
What did Dittmar (2005) find out about gender differences in shopping behaviour?
Both men and women can become compulsive shoppers, but of different items
What did Dittmar (2005) find women tend to buy more of?
Clothes, shoes, make-up and jewelry
What did Dittmar (2005) find men tend to buy more of?
Electronic goods and hardware such as tools
What two factors contribute to shopping initiation?
Ease of credit and online shopping
How do role models influence shopping behaviour?
Purchases aspire to be like them
Adverts show celebrity role models being reinforced for product use - what does this give shoppers?
Vicarious reinforcement
Shopping can be reinforced by rewards - give an example of a reward
Compliments on purchases
Shopping can become associated with enhanced mood - what theory is this?
Classical conditioning
How can classical conditioning explain shopping addiction?
Shopping can become associated with enhanced mood
According to classical conditioning, what can shopping become associated with?
Enhanced mood
According to operant conditioning, what can shopping be reinforced by?
Rewards such as compliments on purchases
When addicts decide to buy a product, what can they experience a reward of?
An adrenaline rush
When in a favourite shop or website, an addict’s body releases…
Dopamine
When in a favourite shop or website, an addict’s body releases dopamine. What is the effect of this?
Excites the brain reward’s pathway
What does getting sale bargains or obtaining a rare or exclusive item provide for some addicts?
Positive reinforcement
Give an example of a continual environmental cue that may trigger an addict’s behaviour and need to shop
Shop windows and adverts
How can continual environmental cues contribute to relapses in shopping behaviour?
They are difficult to avoid and can trigger the need to shop
How can relapses in shopping behaviour be explained by negative reinforcement?
A return to shopping diminishes withdrawal symptoms
Give one strength of the learning approach to explaining shopping addiction
Research to support
Give one weakness of the learning approach to explaining shopping addiction
Reductionist
What might be the best explanation of a shopping addiction?
A combined learning/cognitive approach
What does the cognitive approach suggest about shopping behaviour?
People use shopping as a form of self-medication
Who may use shopping to make themselves feel better?
People who have mental health issues
According to the cognitive approach, why might people who have mental health issues shop?
To make themselves feel better
In the cognitive approach to shopping, what is the rational thought process of shopping replaced with?
The irrational thought that purchases will solve problems
Shopping addiction can start if the individual expects a behaviour to have a positive outcome. For example…
Relief of boredom
If people buy products that make them look attractive, what might they believe about shopping?
It improves their self-esteem
According to the cognitive approach, what can shopping be a coping strategy for?
Distress
According the the cognitive approach, what can drive a shopping addiction?
Excitement
How does cognitive bias explain why people continue to shop?
The person thinks it is helping them, even if it puts them into debt
When shopping, what don’t addicts think about?
The money they are spending
Addicts believe that shopping reduces anxiety and boredom. However, what does their stress increase with?
The financial consequences
What do addicts believe that shopping reduces?
Anxiety and boredom
Some people know their shopping has negative financial consequences, but what do they falsely believe?
They can control their behaviour
Some people feel guilty and disappointed after shopping. Why do they then continue to shop?
It makes them feel better again (self-medication)
According to the self-medication model, withdrawal from shopping is ________, whereas shopping is ___________
boring, exciting
A relapsing shopper may feel anxious before purchasing. Why are they driven to continue shopping?
They know that they will feel better afterwards
If a person has gotten into debt through shopping, they may experience anxiety. How is this relieved?
By relapsing
According to the self-medication model, when might coping strategies break down?
If the person feels overwhelmed by their life issues
What did Valence (1988) investigate?
The link between childhood trauma and shopping addiction
What did Valence (1988) find?
Compulsive shoppers reported significantly more childhood problems than the control group
What did Black (2007) investigate?
The relationship between shopping addiction and the existence of other mental health issues
What did Black (2007) find?
Many people with shopping addictions also have other issues, such as anxiety and depression
Give one strength of the cognitive approach to explaining shopping addiction
Explains how distorted thinking and behaviour may result in people getting into debt due to shopping addiction / Research evidence to support
Name one piece of research evidence to support the cognitive approach to explaining shopping addiction
Valence (1988) / Black (2007)
Give one weakness of the cognitive approach to explaining shopping addiction
Hard to establish cause and effect / Reductionist
Why is the cognitive approach to explaining shopping addiction reductionist?
It doesn’t account for non-cognitive factors such as learning and biology
Why is it difficult to establish cause and effect in the cognitive approach to explaining shopping addiction?
Unclear whether anxiety and need for excitement caused the shopping addiction or are a consequence of it
Why is the learning approach to explaining shopping addiction reductionist?
Doesn’t account for cognitive explanations of shopping such as self-medication
Name one piece of research evidence to support the learning approach to explaining shopping addiction
Knoll and Matthes (2017) / Dittmar (2005)
