Models of addiction Flashcards
How do exposure models account for addiction?
They state that all individuals are at risk of becoming addicted given sufficient exposure.
Drugs interact with and change the brain. These changes create motivation to continue use of the substance
How does the withdrawal model account for addiction?
Addicts continue to use the substance in order to avoid withdrawal.
Negative reinforcement to avoid the pain of withdrawal symptoms
Describe O’Brien et al., 1977 study of conditioned withdrawal of heroin
participants could be conditioned to experience show withdrawal symptoms when an injection of an opiate blocker was paired with a peppermint odour
What is meant by the opponent-process model?
There can be opposing reactions to the same stimulus (A&B). These can change over time resulting in a shifting profile of manifest.
The positive incentive of drugs would be expected in early addiction which then changes to opposite reactions of withdrawal
What is meant by susceptibility models of addiction?
Only certain individual are at risk of addiction.
These individual have a particular susceptibility - addictive personality.
This allows drugs to generate addictive behaviour more readily
Explain why there is an increased risk of younger people becoming addicted?
The frontal cortex is still developing.
What is meant by reward hypersensitivity?
Mid brain DA cells increase activity when humans or animals detect/consume natural rewards and drugs of abuse.
What is meant by punishment insensitivity?
Continued use of the drug even though it’s known to cause trouble with family and friends or cause health problems.
- insensitive to punishing consequences of the drug
What is meant by faulty error detection?
Addicts may have full knowledge of the adverse effects of drug abuse but is not able to use this knowledge to change behaviour.
