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Explanations for Gambling Addiction: Learning Theory - Coggle Diagram
Explanations for Gambling Addiction: Learning Theory
Evaluation:
The learning theory is an effective explanation:
Explains why gambling persists
Conditioning (which requires no conscious thought or decision making) is much like gambling
Research support:
Dickerson (1979)
Regular gamblers in a betting shop were more likely to place bets 2mins before the start of a race
Prolongs the excitement (positive reinforcement)
Real life setting demonstrates addiction better than being in a lab
The learning theory is a limited explanation:
Better at explaining gambling involving little skill
Better at explaining gambling that is temporally contiguous (almost no delay between placing the bet and knowing the outcome)
Not for skilled or delayed gambling
The learning theory ignores individual differences:
Cognitive explanations are really needed to explain why - some gamblers are motivated by arousal/relaxation, some never suffer withdrawal or relapse
Operant Conditioning and Gambling:
Negative reinforcement - Escape from everyday life/anxieties
Positive reinforcement - Winning ('buzz', status, money)
Definitions:
Continuous reinforcement
- cravings/arousal being triggered by certain stimuli associated with addictive behaviour
Partial reinforcement
- when a behaviour is reinforced only some of the time it occurs
Variable reinforcement
- Behaviour is reinforced after an unpredictable period of time/number of responses - takes longer to establish, but very resistant to extinction
How partial (and variable) reinforcement can e used to explain why gambling persists:
Only some bets are rewarded - means there is an unpredictability about which gambles will pay off, this is enough to keep the gambling going even when rewards are hard to come by
Vicarious reinforcement - Seeing others being rewarded can trigger a desire for the same reinforcement
Cue reactivity examples causing relapse - betting shops, casino, tv/film/adverts, races