Cognitive approach to gambling

• Initiation - cost benefit analysis
• A cost benefit analysis is when someone will weigh up the pros and cons of behaviour change.
• Depending on the expectations of the costs and benefit of gambling the gambler will make a decision to engage in behaviour.
• Maintenance - cognitive biases.
• Cognitive biases are involved in maintaining a gambling addiction.
• Gamblers fallacy is the false belief that after a long run of loses the chances winning increases the next time they gamble.
• Illusion of control is when gamblers believe they have control over events that are random.
• Relapse - cognitive biases.
• People might underestimate there past loses by underplaying the amount that they lost.
• Cognitive biases disrupt the cost benefit analysis.
• The cognitive approach doesn’t offer a full explanation of why people gamble.
• Social factors need to be taken into account - SLT.