learning approach to shopping

• Initiation

  -tv advertising- role models - if a person is to experience a role model close to them being happy then they are likely to also buy the same item
• Maintenance

  -reduction of anxiety associated with spending

  -they experience anxiety when they consider the true consequence of their addiction

  -the anxiety can be relieved by behaviours that disguise the shopper's reality e.g hiding bank statements

  -many addicted shoppers continue to reduce boredom and instead experience the buzz of shopping
• relapse

  -An addicted shopper may return to their addictive behaviours as withdrawal symptoms causes lack of excitement

  -may feel increase anxiety so return to shopping to avoid the feelings of withdrawal - neg reinforcement

  -breakdown of coping mechanisms

  -self perpetuating cycle - distress, use , addiction, more distress , relapse.
• eval

  -research studies use self report methods - meaning it can be a social desirability bias and that they might have made their results based on what they would want people to perceive of them - so research findings might underestimate the extent of shopping addictions
• eval

  -there is a greater role for cognitive factors in compulsive shopping than the learning approach recognises - fails to recognise that some of the behaviours is from both cognitive and behavioural factors
• eval

  + research to support the use of advertising as a cue to shopping - shoppers attitudes were more positive when they were endorsed by celebrities than when they weren't.
• eval

  + the learning approach can explain gender differences in a shopping addiction - operant conditioning can play a key role as positive reinforcement makes it likely that males and females will shop for what they are stereotyped to buy