One Learning Explanation for Nicotine Addiction - SLT Flashcards
What is the supporting evidence/strengths of SLT as an explanation of nicotine addiction?
Friedman et al (1985)
Kniskern et al (1983)
Nature-nurture debate
Reductionism/Holistic
What is the refuting evidence/weaknesses of SLT as an explanation of nicotine addiction?
Lawrance (1989)
Unable to explain continued use
Nature-nurture debate
Brain biochemistry
Why is Friedman et al (1985) supporting evidence of SLT as an explanation of nicotine addiction?
Friedman et al used a structured interview on 157 teenagers to investigate smoking initiation
Found that peer encouragement and exposure to smoking peers were significant risk factors associated with onset and continued smoking behaviour
Why is Kniskern et al (1983) supporting evidence of SLT as an explanation of nicotine addiction?
Kniskern et al found further evidence for importance of role models in shaping smoking behaviour of adolescents
Can be seen in research using 28 males and 28 females who were exposed to either a male smoking model, female smoking model or no model
Found that smoking was influenced when in the presence of a smoking model with boys smoking more than girls
Why is nature-nurture debate a strength of SLT as an explanation of nicotine addiction?
Highlights the nurture side of the debate in explaining drug use because it states that individuals engage in such behaviour because of being exposed to it from others
Continue to participate in such behaviour because of positive consequences experiences or negative experiences from withdrawing
Why is reductionism a strength of SLT as an explanation of nicotine addiction?
May be viewed as more holistic than other explanations
It encompasses elements from different approaches in psychology including cognitive processes such as retention and attention, behaviourist principles such as reinforcement and social factors such as influence of others
Why is Lawrence (1989) refuting evidence of SLT as an explanation of nicotine addiction?
Lawrence noted that self-efficacy is important and may be overlooked when explaining smoking behaviour through imitation of role models
Some individuals have self-belief that they have the skills necessary to resist social influence and are less likely to copy the norms of a peer group whereas people who believe they are less likely to resist are more likely to become addicts
Why is being unable to explain continued use a weakness of SLT as an explanation of nicotine addiction?
SLT isn’t able to explain the continued use of drugs
More useful when explaining why an individual will initially take drugs because of imitation and vicarious reinforcement
Why is nature-nurture a weakness of SLT as an explanation of nicotine addiction?
The biological explanation argues that drug misuse is due to physiological changes in the brain
Taking opposing ends of the continuum may be a weakness in explaining drug misuse, as it fails to acknowledge the interaction between both nature and nurture in both the uptake and maintenance of drug misuse
Why is brain biochemistry a weakness of SLT as an explanation of nicotine addiction?
A complex behaviour like nicotine addiction can only be fully explained in terms of additional causes that interact with learning processes, including brain biochemistry and genetics which SLT ignores
