Relapse

• Gamblers are at risk of developing relapse because of cognitive bias- irrational thoughts
• Recall bias- remember successes and forget losses
• Overestimate benefits of gambling, underestimate costs- distorted cost benefit analysis
• More vulnerable to relapse
• Griffiths (1994)

  The role of cognitive bias and skill in fruit machine gambling

  Cognitive bias

  The illusion of control

  E.g: If I choose which machine to play I am more likely to win (same as buying 2 lottery tickets)

  Biased attribution: when I win it’s because I am skilled but when I lose its just ‘bad luck’

  Illusory correlation: if I throw the dice hard I am more likely to get a ‘six’.

   
• Evaluation- weakness

  Lots of us have cognitive distortions, common but being gambling addict is not. Big disparity between the two. Disparity would suggest cognitive approach cant be used to fully explain behaviour.
• Evaluation: Strength

  If u give gambling addicts therapy for changing perceptions taking away cognitive distortions replaced with facts, addiction to gambling does fall suggests it is a good explanation.