learning approach to gambling

• initiation

  social learning - begin to gamble by observing role models and experiencing vicarious reinforcement.

  classical conditioning- the first time a gambler enjoys the noise and flashing lights, then they will create a paired association with the feeling and with the gambling activity.
• maintenance

  positive reinforcement- through wins/the buzz of playing/'big win' near the start/'near misses'

  negative reinforcement- escape from everyday anxiety/reality

  partial/variable reinforcement
• relapse

  cue reactivity- shows how gambling can occur again even after the gambler has stopped because of conditioned cues

  conditioned cues- when the person experiences the cues they get the physiological and emotional reaction that gambling brings

  cues are everywhere (betting shops)

  this puts them at risk of relapse
• eval

  + evidence to support the learning approach - positive reinforcement can explain gambling behaviour in a real-life environment
• eval

  + there is research to support the role of partial reinforcement - shows how partial reinforcement may specifically influence addicted gamblers to continue gambling even when they are losing
• eval

  -- conditioning does not occur in the same way for every gambler - this is then difficult for the learning approach to explain without including some cognitive features of gambling such as irrational thoughts
• eval

  --the learning approach cannot explain all types of gambling, as some gambling outcomes are entirely due to chance or luck so there is no opportunity for the gambler to be influenced unlike with fruit machines where the gambler might believe that they have skill over, which they don't - showing that it lacks reliability as it cannot provide a general explanation for all gambling addiction