Models of Addictive Behaviour - Gambling

Models of Addictive Behaviour - Gambling

1. LEARNING

   • Initiation
     • Operant Conditioning
       • When you gamble you are positively rewarded by gaining money and having a dopamine rush - positively reinforced - unconsciously encouraged to repeat the behaviour
         • Custar (1982): people who win big when they first start gambling are more likely to become compulsive gamblers
       • Gambling is an example of random ratio schedule - body does not habituate - maximising the biological reward - stay motivated without rewards
     • Social Learning Theory
       • Watch a role model gamble and see them win money and thier popularity increase - you undergo vicarious reinforcement - imitate their behaviour to gain the rewards
         • Gupta (1998): 86% of children who gambled did so with family
   • Maintenance
     • Classical Conditioning
       • Over time an unconscious association formed between what is around you when you gamble and the rewards of gambling - acts as a trigger
       • Eg. when you gamble at a slot machine there are lots of bright lights - if you see bright lights there is an overwhelming impulse to gamble - lights act as a trigger
   • Relapse
   • Raylu
   • PA: more control over films
   • Nurture

2. COGNITIVE

   • Initiation
     • Self Medication Model
       • Use gambling to treat psychological problems - percieved as dealing with the problem - distractor from unhappiness or boredom
         • Becona (1996): depression is evident in the majority of PG
     • Theory of Reasoned Action
       • Both attitudes are norms and combined to create the behaviour intention which determines the actual behaviour - attitude: I'm feeling lucky, norms: sociable - do it
   • Maintenance
     • Self Medication Model
       • Irrational beliefs - gambler's fallacy - belief that random events can be affected by recent events - their luck will change - superstitious behaviours will effect eg. lucky die
         • Griffiths (1994): regular gamblers were more likely to believe there were skilled and to make irrational verbalisations during play - expressed loses are near wins
   • Relapse
   • Raylu

3. BIOLOGICAL

   • Initiation
     • Born with A1 allele of the DRD2 gene - suffer a deficit of dopamine - constantly under rewarded - need to stimulate the mesolimbic system - gambling provides disproportionate reward
       • Comings (1998): 50% of PGs have the A1 allele of DRD2 compared to only 25% of the general public
       • Bergh: lower levels of dopamine in PG
   • Maintenance
     • Random ratio schedule of reinforcement - brain does not habituate - reward level does not drop
   • Relapse
     • If you have the A1 allele of DRD2 you are more likely to relapse - without gambling mesolimbic system is not stimulated - gamble again
     • No gambling = no reward - lower than normal dopamine levels - physical dependance on gamlbing - gamble again to raise dopamine levels
   • Raylu
   • Deterministic - stereotypeing? not motivation to improve?
   • PA: drugs - NRT