Learning model of gambling

Learning model of gambling

1. Initiation

   • Operant conditioning proposes that any behaviour that produces a rewarding consequence for the individual will become more frequent.
   • Griffiths (2009)
     • Gamblers playing on slot machines may become addicted because of the...
       • Physiological rewards e.g: getting a buzz from winning
       • Psychological rewards e.g: the near miss
       • Social rewards e.g: peer praise
       • Financial rewards if they win

2. Maintenance

   • Intermittent reinforcement
     • Operant conditioning suggests that people continue to gamble because of the occasional reinforcement that's characteristic of gambling.
   • Lambo et al (2007)
     • Peers and family of problem gamblers were more likely to approve of gambling.
     • Respondents who received this type of reinforcement gambled more than others and intended to continue doing so in the future.

3. Relapse

   • Conditioned cues
     • Addicts learn to associate other stimuli with their gambling behaviour via classical conditioning.
       • E.g: sights/sounds of a casino or the presence of other gamblers
     • Stimuli act as triggers for gambling because they can increase arousal.
     • If the individual comes into contact with one of these cues they're more likely to relapse.
   • Approach-avoidance conflict
     • Because gambling has positive and negative consequences the gambler is motivated to approach and avoid situations where gambling is involved.
     • Motivation fluctuates between wanting to gamble and wanting to stop.
     • Whether the gambler will act on their urge will depend on their ability to control the increased arousal and delay their need for reinforcement.

4. Evaluation

   • Doesn't explain all forms of gambling
     • It's difficult to apply the same operant conditioning principles to all forms of gambling
       • E.g: some forms of gambling have a short time period between the behaviour and the consequences (scratch cards)
       • E.g: other forms of gambling (sports betting) have a much longer time period between bet and outcome, which depends less on chance and more on the individual's skill.
   • Individual differences
     • It explains addiction in terms of behavioural consequences but not why many who've gambled at some time in their lives and experienced the reinforcements haven't become addicted
     • There might also be psychological factors involved in the transition between gambling behaviour to addiction.
   • Blaszcynski and Nower (2002)
     • Different pathways for gambling predict the likelihood of successful treatment.
     • Gamblers in the behaviourally conditioned pathway may have started gambling because of models exposing them to it.
       • They tend to show the least severe issues, are motivated to enter treatment and more likely to curb their addiction successfully.
     • Another subgroup tends to have anxiety and/or depression, a history of poor coping skills and negative background experiences and events.
       • These factors produce an "emotionally vulnerable gambler", who uses the habit to relieve themselves of negative emotional states.
         • Self-medication model
         • This makes them more change resistant and necessitates treatment to deal with these factors as well as gambling.