learning theory explanations of gambling addiction

• initiation of gambling behaviour- social learning theory


  media stories about people winning -> vicarious reinforcement -> imitation to receive similar rewards
• maintenance of gambling behaviour - operant conditioning (1)


  positive reinforcement - feelings of euphoria when winning (research shows near-misses activate the reward pathway in the same way), financial rewards, increased status/praise from peers

  negative reinforcement - escape stress/boredom/loneliness of every day life, escape anxiety, escape poverty, escape low social status
• maintenance of gambling behaviour - operant conditioning (2)


  schedules of reinforcement:

  continuous reinforcement - reward every time e.g., pay out every time someone gambles (not going to happen - not lucrative)

  behaviour is picked up really quickly (Skinner's rats), soon become satiated, motivation wanes

  -

  fixed ratio reinforcement (partial) - reward only after a behaviour occurs a specified number of times e.g., prize every 10p entered

  picked up quite quickly, will not but in final 10p of a pound as can't win
• maintenance of gambling behaviour - operant conditioning (3)


  schedules of reinforcement:

  fixed interval reinforcement (partial) - reward after a fixed period of time - providing the behaviour has occurred at least once e.g., a win every 3 minutes

  picked up relatively quickly - put 10p in every 3 minutes - minimal money spent compared to others
• maintenance of gambling behaviour - operant conditioning (4)


  schedules of reinforcement:

  variable ratio/interval reinforcement (partial) (most common) - behaviour rewarded after an unpredictable number of times/interval of times e.g., can't walk away from slot machine as next play could win

  takes longer to work as may not get first win (and subsequent win) as fast - no fixed pattern to predict from - could win any time - keep going indefinitely
• relapse of gambling behaviour - classical conditioning: cue reactivity (1)


  cues are dependant on the type of gambling and refer to places, people, situations or objects one comes to associate with gambling

  for example: places - betting shops, casino, pub | people - other casino regulars | situations - pay day / acquisition of money, bored, anxious | objects - device (mobile phone/laptop), coins
• relapse of gambling behaviour - classical conditioning: cue reactivity (2)


  unconditioned stimulus (gambling) -> unconditioned response (wins and near-misses activate the reward pathway)

  neutral stimulus (cues) -> conditioned stimulus (cues after pairing/association of ucs and ns) -> conditioned response (craving for gambling)
• ao3 - research support (1)

  Mark Dickerson (1979) - investigation into betting office gambling

  direct observation into and comparison of behaviour of high-frequency and low-frequency gamblers
• ao3 - research support (2)

  high-frequency gamblers were more likely to place a bet in the last 2 minutes before the start of the race, low-frequency placed bets earlier

  concluded high-frequency gamblers find the excitement of the build up to the race rewarding regardless of result - delay before placing the bet is to prolong and intensify the build up -> evidence for role of positive reinforcement in gambling
• ao3 - research support (evaluation) (3)

  real world setting -> ecological validity

  one observer - no way of checking reliability of observations - no inter-observer reliability - observer bias not eliminated - findings of study may not be valid
• ao3 - individual differences

  many people dabble in gambling, but 95% don't develop an addiction despite experiencing the same reinforcement

  implies involvement of other factors
• ao3 - alternatives

  personality traits could act as an explanation for why some people develop an addiction and others don't

  this includes sensation seeking, impulsivity and compulsivity

  there is question as to the ultimate cause of personality traits - are they learned or genetically determined
• ao3 - applications

  cue reactivity explains relapse in addiction - in therapy, an individual's cues could be identified and strategies to avoid them could be developed

  issues in practicality for gambling, as advertisements are common and often unavoidable - for tobacco, the government put in place the Tobacco Display Ban in 2012 for large stores and 2015 for smaller stores