A- social psychological explanations

Question 1

what is the first social psychological explanation

Answer 1

peer influence

Question 2

what did Eiser et al. find

Answer 2

that among adolescents, smokers tend to befriend smokers and non-smokers befriend other non-smokers

Question 3

explain the social learning theory
albert banduro

Answer 3

we all learn through operant and classical and operant conditioning we can also learn through the observation and initiation of others. in order to learn something, the individual needs to be motivated by 2 processes (observing a role model and vicarious reinforcement)

Question 4

explain what is meant by observing a role model

Answer 4

this is someone the individual may identify with and admire

Question 5

explain vicarious reinforcement

Answer 5

SLT emphasise that for a behaviour to be imitated it must be seen as rewarding in some way (it is reinforced) they then learn that repeating these behaviours is worth it

Question 6

how is SLT applied to addiction

Answer 6

an individual may see their friend smoking, these peers may be role models and they may also be rewarded for smoking through having a higher social status and seemed to be enjoying it (vicarious reinforcement)
this results in the individual imitating the smoking behaviour as they expect a reward. young people are most likely to imitate the behaviour of those who they have the most contact with

Question 7

what determines whether a behaviour (smoking) will persist

Answer 7

experience (pleasant or unpleasant) with the new behaviour will determine whether it continues (direct reinforcement)

Question 8

what are social norms

Answer 8

rules of behaviour that are considered acceptable within a particular social group (can affect behaviour)

Question 9

2 types of social norm

Answer 9

descriptive norm
injunctive norm

Question 10

what is a descriptive norm

Answer 10

an individual’s perception of how much others engage in behaviours such as smoking or drinking

Question 11

injunctive norm?

Answer 11

what an individual perceives as others approval of the behaviour

Question 12

how are social norms applied to addiction

Answer 12

can be applied to alcohol consumption, suggested students overestimate the descriptive and injunctive norms within their peer group, they believe their friends are drinking more alcohol then they are (D norm) and that drinking excessively is more socially acceptable than it actually is (injunctive norm)

Question 13

evidence found to support perceived social norms

Answer 13

Perkins and berkowitz found a high proportion of the students they surveyed believed being intoxicated was only acceptable in certain circumstances, a high proportion also thought their peers thought it was socially acceptable. they feel no need to reduce their consumption as they think that everyone is doing it more than them anyway

Question 14

a strength of the peer influence explanation of addiction

Answer 14

can be seen in the supportive evidence available

Question 15

one study that supports the peer influence explanation

Answer 15

Simons-Morton and Farhat reviewed the findings of 40 prospective studies into the relationship between peers and smoking and found that all but one showed a positive correlation between the two. similar results also found for other addictive behaviours

Question 16

what can Simons-Morton and Farhat research suggest

Answer 16

supports the link between the behaviour of peers and engagement in addictive behaviours, showing a high level of validity within this explanation of addiction

Question 17

another research study that supports the peer influence explanation of addiction

Answer 17

Clayton and Neighbours compared a number of factors related to alcohol consumption, found that descriptive and injunctive norms were the best predictor of alcohol consumption among a sample of US college students,

Question 18

problem with Clayton and NEighbours research

Answer 18

they also only looked at US college students, lacking in population validity therefore we cannot generalise the findings, they are limited so cannot generalise to all individuals

Question 19

what does Clayton and Neighbours research suggest

Answer 19

. more research needs to be carried out over a larger sample to validate the explanation and apply it to all addictions

Question 20

one weakness of the peer influence explanation

Answer 20

need to maintain caution as a key problem is determining whether the peers influence the individual to engage in the addictive behaviour (peer influence) or whether individuals chose friends because they also engage in the behaviour (peer selection)

Question 21

evidence to support the weakness of the peer influence explanation

Answer 21

Ennet and BAuman found that pps who were non-smokers at the start of the study and who had smoking friends were more likely to be smoking by the follow up (evidence of peer influence) there was also evidence that individuals had change membership of friendship groups in line with their smoking/non-smoking behaviour (evidence of selectoin)

Question 22

another weakness of the peer influence explanation

Answer 22

there is contradictory evidence. other evidence suggests that experimenting with drugs while alone is a key factor in the development of addictions. classic image of a teenager experimenting with cigarettes is whilst being alone in their bedroom, recent research has suggested the role of peers may have been over-emphasised. more research needed.

Question 23

what is the second social psychological explanation

Answer 23

the role of the media

Question 24

what is the role of the media explanation

Answer 24

it seems likely that the way addictive behaviour are portrayed in the media could have an affect on people’s attitudes towards these behaviours.

Question 25

SLT role of the media

Answer 25

the same principles of SLT applied to peer influences can be applied to the role of the media. people continue to learnt through the observation and imitation of others but this time its the celeberaty acting as the role model, the vicarious reinforcement = certain behaviours seens as glamorous

Question 26

exposure to addictive behaviours in the media

Answer 26

studies have shown the portrayal of potentially addictive behaviours (smoking/alcohol) is very common in television and film. alcohol use was portrayed in 86% of popular UK films and 40% of TV programmes (Lyons et al.)

Question 27

does the exposure of addictive behaviours have an affect

Answer 27

sargent and Hanewinkel tested whether adolescents exposure to smoking in movies influenced their initiation into smoking, surveyed a total of 4384 individuals aged 11-15 , then re-surveyed a year later. found in those individuals who hadn't smoked when first surveyed, exposure to movie smoking over the year was a significant and strong predictor of whether they had began to smoke within the year.

Question 28

what did Sargent and Hanewinkel's research suggest

Answer 28

that there is research evidence to pointing to the strong influence of the media in determining addictive behaviour

Question 29

strength of the role of the media explanation of addiction

Answer 29

can be seen in the research evidence available which makes this explanation difficult to argue against. when looking at advertising used in the media it appears that advertising of alcohol and cigarettes does seem to increase awareness of these products and shape attitudes (particularly in young people)

Question 30

who's evidence is a strength of the role of the media explanation (2)

Answer 30

Chapman and Fitzgerald found that under-age smokers reported a preference for highly advertised brands. Atkin et al. found that 12-17 year olds who had been exposed to higher levels of advertising were more likely to approve of under-age drinking and drunkness

Question 31

what does this supportive evidence suggest

Answer 31

researchers found that exposure to marketing and media promoting smoking increased positive attitudes around smoking and even doubled the chances of starting to smoke, suggests there is validity in the suggestion that the media has a significant influence in shaping the addictive behaviours and attitudes of the public

Question 32

weakness of the role of the media explanation of addiction

Answer 32

there is an alternative perspective. Boyd argues that films frequently represent the negative consequences of alcohol and drug dependence. for example, illegal drug use and addiction are often depicted by physical deterioration (unkempt bodues and hair,sexual degradation (prostitution and rape) violence and crime (theft and murder) and moral decline (stealing from loved ones).

Question 33

what does Boyds alternative perspective say about the role of the media

Answer 33

this suggests that the various outlets of the media take the influence they can have on an individuals behaviour seriously and try to portray a realistic image of addiction, showing negative as well as positives.