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A Level Psychology > Addiction > Flashcards

Flashcards in Addiction Deck (149)
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1
Q

Define addiction

A

Periodic or chronic intoxication produced by repeated consumption of drugs, natural or synthetic’

2
Q

Give a second definition of addiction

A

A disorder where the individual engages in a behaviour that was pleasurable but becomes compulsive and has harmful consequences​

3
Q

Which is the only 1 non drug addiction in the DSM 5

A

gambling

4
Q

How many addictions are in the DSM 5

A

10`

5
Q

Give 4 criteria of an addiction in the DSM 5

A

wanting to quit but cant
not managing to do what you should (work)
needing to do it more often than when you started
carrying on despite physical harm it may cause

6
Q

Name the six characteristics of addictive behaviour

A
salience
mood modification
tolerance
withdrawal symptoms 
conflict
relapse
7
Q

Explain salience

A

the behaviour is the most important thing in your life

8
Q

Explain mood modification

A

it provides excitement

9
Q

Explain conflict

A

problems with those directly around you as a result of the addiction

10
Q

Explain relapse

A

repeating behaviour after trying to stop

11
Q

What are the 4 things usdd to describe addiction in the specification

A

withdrawal syndrome
tolerance
physical dependance
psychological dependance

12
Q

What is withdrawal syndrome

A

a collection of symptoms when the substance is no longer present

13
Q

What is dependance

A

a need for substance that causes withdrawal symptoms

14
Q

What is tolerance

A

a lowered response to a substance due to repeated use

15
Q

What is cross tolerance

A

a tolerance to one drug that leads to a tolerance of another drug

16
Q

Name a study into cross tolerance/vulnerability to addiction

A

Marks et al (1997)

alcoholics more likely to have a nicotine dependancy

17
Q

Name a study into tolerance

A

Begg (2001)
normal drinkers 8g
alcoholics 16g

18
Q

Name a study into withdrawal symptoms

A

Grabus (2005)

mice showed withdrawal symptoms from nicotine and over time their physical response decreased

19
Q

What do geens create for drugs

A

a predisposition

20
Q

What are low levels of dopamine receptors linked with

A

addiction as dopamine is linked with reward and pleasure

21
Q

Why are Asians less likely to become addicted to alcohol

A

50% of asians metabolise alcohol slower than europeans so feel more sick drinking it and therefore drink it less

22
Q

Name a study looking into genetic vulnerability

A

Kendler et al 2012

individuals with one addicted parents who were adopted away at a 9% risk, double normal

23
Q

Evaluate genetic vulnerability

A

nativist-interactionalist arguement with evdience from twin studies
bio determinism doesnt account for free will
socially sensitive as says people dont have a choice
bio reductionist enables controlled research but oversimplifies a complex phenonemon

24
Q

What does increased stress lead to

A

increased vulnerability

25
Q

What are the different types of stressors

A

acute (severe short term)

chronic (long term)

26
Q

Name a stress study

A

Tovalacci et al 2013

highly stressed uni students more likely to become nicotine, alcohol and the internet

27
Q

Evaluate the importance of stress

A

cause and effect hard to establish, stress could be caused by the addiction

28
Q

Name a study that looks at personality and addiction

A

Eysenck (1997)

individual develops an addictive habit because it fulfuls a purpose related to their personality traits

29
Q

Which personality type is closest linked to addiction

A

impulsivity

30
Q

Name a study to do with impulsivity

A

Ivanov et al 2008

impulsivity and drug use closely linked

31
Q

What type of risk factor is personality

A

proximal risk factor

32
Q

What is percieved parental approval

A

people thinking that their parents have a positive attude to a behaviour

33
Q

Name a study into percieved parental approval

A

Livingston (2010) high school students who were allowed to drink at home are more likley to excessively drink as college students

34
Q

Name some issues with this study

A

self report
difficult to separate and measure family and other influences
correlation not causation

35
Q

Name another risk factor in addiction

A

peers

36
Q

What are the 3 ways O’Connell (2009) suggests peers increase addiction risk to alcohol

A

peers behaviour
peers provide opportunity and access
an individual overestimates how much their peers drink

37
Q

What are some issues with peer studies

A

influence of peers changes with age
difficult to separate cause and effect
doesnt account for social factors

38
Q

What are some practical applications of looking at risk factors

A

when we understand the risks can lead to treatment and preventation

39
Q

What are the two key brain neurochemistry explanations for nicotine addiction

A

desensitisation model

nicotine regulation model

40
Q

Who came up with the desensitisation hypothesis

A

Dani and Heinemann 1996

41
Q

Name the two branches of the desensitisation hypothesis

A

ACh receptors

Dopamine transmission

42
Q

Explain ACh receptors

A

nicotine molecules bind with a receptor, and initially causes dopamine to be released
but then immediately after, the nicotine receptor shuts down and can temporarily not respond to neurotransmitters
leads to desensitisation and downregulation, a reduction in number of active neurons

43
Q

Explain dopamine transmission

A

When receptors are stimulated by nicotine, dopamine is released into the mesolimbic pathway which is part of the brains reward and pleasure centre

44
Q

How does ACh become nACh

A

by nicotine binding with the receptor

45
Q

Explain the nicotine regulation model in terms of withdrawal

A

overnight, the receptors become resensitised and more active, so the cravings come back
this is why many say the first cig of the day is the best as it reactivates the dopamine reward system

46
Q

Explain the nicotine regulation model in terms of dependance and tolerance

A

smoker is motivated to keep smoking to avoid the unpleasurable withdrawal symptoms
daytime downregulation and nighttime upregulation creates chronic desensitisation to nAChs

47
Q

Explain the supporting research evidence for the role of neurochemistry in nicotine addiction

A

McEvoy et al (1995)
haloperidol increased smoking in sz patients as it produces a nicotine hit by increasing dopamine release
importance of dopamine in the reward system of the mesolimbic pathway seen through brain imaging studies (Ray et al 2008)

48
Q

Explain the real life applications of neurochemistry explanations

A

new treatments such as nicotine replacement therapy in the form of patches and inhalers
smoking has high co-morbidity with other mental diseases, so can help us with preventation and treatment of those also

49
Q

Explain why neurochemistry is a limited explanation

A

role of dopamine over-emphasised as more research showing there are other mechanisms involved such as GABA and serotonin
reductionist view at a low level as it ignores hugher level factors such as social and psychological as only 50% become nicotine addicts

50
Q

How does operant conditioning help with addiction to smoking

A

positive - early days, pleasurable consequences from nicotine
negative - taking away withdrawal symptoms

51
Q

Explain Levin et al study (2010) with operant conditioning

A

trained rats to self administer nicotine from waterspout
rates increased dose every time
issues of exploration as rats differ significantly from humans
also humans enjoy experience of smoking tobacco

52
Q

How does classical conditioning affect smoking addiction

A

pleasurable reward from smoking is primary reinforcer

secondary reinforcers can be friends, pubs, drinkings

53
Q

What are secondary reinforcers also known as

A

cue reactivitiy

54
Q

Explain two cue reactivity studies

A

Carter and Tiffany (1999)
dependant smokers reacted more strongly to cues than non dependant smokers
Calvert (2009)
strong activation in nucleus accumbens when pack of cigs shown

55
Q

How does social learning theory explain initiation of smoking

A

vicarious reinforcement, seeing role model to it and imitating

56
Q

Explain a study looking at SLT and smoking

A

Mayeux et al (2008)
longitudinal study
correlation between smoking at 16 and populatiy 2 years later in boys but not girls

57
Q

How does SLT have practical applications

A

young people taught necessary skills to resist social influence (Botvin 2000)

58
Q

What does SLT not explain

A

why people smoke and not come addicted

why women have more problem quitting and relapsing

59
Q

What is addiction due to

A

distorted/dysfunctional thinking

60
Q

What do self fulfilling beliefs lead to

A

an inability to direct attention away from addictive substances

61
Q

What theory is linked to the cognitive explanation of gambling

A

expectancy theory

62
Q

What is the expectancy theory

A

they expect certain outcomes and believe that the positives outweigh the negatives so carry on the addiction

63
Q

Explain Beck’s (2001) ‘vicious cycle’

A

low mood - gambling - finance/social problems - low mood

64
Q

What is gamblers fallacy

A

a belief in which a person believes the probability of an outcome has changed, so if they lose 10 times they believe they must win the 11th

65
Q

What are the 4 cognitive biases/irrational thought processes that Rickwood et al (2004) found in gamblers

A

skill and judgement
personal traits/rituals
selective recall
faulty perceptions

66
Q

What is skill and judgement

A

bad illusion of control over events, overestimates ability

67
Q

What is personal traits

A

beleive they are lucky and do rituals to increase luck

68
Q

What is selective recall

A

remembering wins but underestimating losses

69
Q

What is faulty perceptions

A

a distorted view of probability (gamblers fallacy)

70
Q

Explain Griffiths (1994) cognitive biases study

A

30 gamblers 30 non gamblers
£3 on fruit machine
have to aim to stay on for 60 games
cognitions assessed by content analysis of verbalisations

71
Q

What was the outcome

A

gamblers overestimate skills required ans their own skills

presence of cognitive biases so supports cognitive explanation

72
Q

Name some of the verbalisations in the study

A

be nice to me machine - 0.9 non 2.64 gamblers

73
Q

If you have a high self-efficacy you can do what?

A

quit

74
Q

Explain the evidence of automatic behaviour from McCusker and Gettings (1997)

A

Stroop procedure
colour in which words were printed
gamblers took longer to do the words relating to gambling
brain has a cognitive bias that pays attention to gambling words

75
Q

Why can individual differences lead to gambling addiction

A

Burger and Smith (1985) found that people with the personality type of high level of control motivation are more likely to become addicted to gambling as they believe they can control the outcomes

76
Q

Why is the cognitive approach good for real life applications

A

can lead to effective treatment such as CBT

77
Q

What are the methodlogical issues with the cognitive approach

A

as self report is usually used to understand thought processes, it is not an accurate way of seeing what they believe and spur of the moment saying at a slot machine may not reflect ones deeply held beliefs

78
Q

What re the three types of drug therapy

A

aversives
agonists
antagonists

79
Q

Explain an aversive

A

produces unpleasants consequences such as vomiting

eg disulfiram for alcoholism, produces severe hangovers 5 minutes after alcoholic drink

80
Q

Explain agonists

A

drug substitutes
bind to receptors and give pleasant feeling
better as they have fewer harmful side effects and are cleaner as medically administered
help with withdrawal symptoms as dose can be gradually reduced
eg methadone for heroin

81
Q

Explain antagonists

A

bind to receptor sites and block other substances having an effect
dependance cannot have usual positive benefits
eg naltrexone for heroin

82
Q

What is an issue with agonists and antagonists

A

people may still seek out the drug and can lead to overdoses

83
Q

Which is the only one that prevents withdrawal symptoms

A

agonists, so other treatments may have to be used alongside other things

84
Q

Name 3 different types of NRT’s

A

gum, inhalers, patches

85
Q

What is an NRT

A

nicotine replacement therapy

86
Q

What do NRT’s do

A

give nicotine in safe clean way
binds to receptor in mesolimbic pathway stimulating release of dopamine in nucleus accumbens
withdrawal symptoms managed as dose can be lessened over time

87
Q

What did Stead et al (2012) find

A

that all NRT’s are more effective than placebos or no treatment, especially nasal sprays

88
Q

What drug has been suggested to use for gambling addictions

A

naltrexone as increases level of GABA

this is an inhibitory neurotransmitter, which slows down release of dopamine and reduces pleasurable feeling

89
Q

Explain the support for using naltrexone for gambling addiction

A

Kim et al (2001)
12 week double blind placebo-controlled trial
reduced gambling in 45 pathological gamblers

90
Q

What is a negative of naltrexone

A

it produces significant side effects such as drowsiness and anxiety as higher doses are needed for gambling
could lead to non-compliance and reduced effectiveness

91
Q

What are the positive evaluations of drug therapy

A

more time/cost effective than CBt as only prescription needed and may impact a persons life less
by focusing on bio problem it reduces the stigma of addiction as rules out ‘choice’

92
Q

What are the negative evaluations of drug therapy

A

raises ethical issues as there can be more serious side effects and some addicts may b=not be well enough to give informed consent
issues of compliance as addicts may have lost memory through addiction and forget to take the drug
does not address the difficulties that might have led to addiction in the first place such as stress

93
Q

Who found that drug treatment may not be effective by itself

A

McLellan et al (1993)

group of addicts on methadone with pscyhological help responded better than those with no psychological help

94
Q

What does aversion therapy use

A

counterconditioning where they replace the positive association with a negative one

95
Q

What type of intervention is aversion therapy

A

behavioural

96
Q

What does aversion therapy successfully exploit

A

the principle of contiguity

97
Q

What is the principle of contiguity

A

where two stimuli become associated as they occur frequently together

98
Q

How is aversion therapy done for alcoholics

A

given averse drug which causes nausea
given strong alcoholic drink
then throw up
now associates alcohol with nausea

99
Q

What is another version of aversion therapy for alcoholics

A

given disulphiram
stops metabolism of alcohol
immediate horrible hangover after alcohol drinking

100
Q

How is aversion therapy done for gamling addiction

A

addict creates key phrases associated with their gambling that thye say to themselves
self administer two second electric shock for each phrase
aim to be painful but not distressing

101
Q

What is covert sensitisation

A

aversion therapy but in vitro

meaning they have to imagien what it would be like to drink then throw up

102
Q

How is covert sensitisation used for nicotine addiction

A

asked to relax
then therapist goes into graphic detail about smoking and then unpleasant consequences following
gets them to imagine smoking a cigarette with faeces on it

103
Q

What is the positive evaluation of aversion therapy

A

Meyer and Chesser (1970) found that 50% alcoholics absatined for 6 months after therapy
more successful than no therapy
shows effectiveness

104
Q

What study goes against aversion therapy

A

Hajek and Stead (2011)
reviewed 25 AT studies
all but 1 had methological issues
means results must be treated with caution

105
Q

What are the negative evalutaions of aversion therapy

A

compliance is low due to unpleasant nature

ethical issues such as physical harm and loss of dignity to CS is preferred now

106
Q

Name a study supporting covert sensitisation over aversion therapy

A

McConaghy et al (1983)
after 1 year 90% of CS patients had reduced gambling over only 30% of AT
suggested CS has better long term benefits

107
Q

What are some issues with behavioural therapies in general

A

relapse as addictions take place away from controlled environment where aversion is created
does not address underlying cause such as bio, cog or social eg the things causing the addiction in the first place

108
Q

What is the aim of CBT

A

changethe faulty ways of thinking that lead people to use drugs/addictions as maladaptive ways of thinking

109
Q

What is the first stage of CBT

A

functional analysis
identify and tackle the cognitive distortions that are leading to addictions replacing them with more adaptive ways of thinking

110
Q

What is the second stage of CBT

A

skills training
help the client develop coping behaviours to avoid the high risk situatrions that lead to trigger action related behaviour

111
Q

What is very important in CBT

A

client patient relationship

trusting but not cosy

112
Q

What does functional analysis include

A

talking about how the feel before, during and after use
how they feel about the consequences
how they experience cravings

113
Q

Does functional analysis happen once or is it ongoing

A

ongoing as it is needed to assess the success of the therapy and guide its future direction

114
Q

What are the three skills included in skills training

A

cognitive restructuring
specific skills
social skills

115
Q

What is cognitive restructuring

A

tackling biases and distortions that lead to a behaviour

116
Q

What is specific skills

A

CBT is a broad spectrum treatment so this focuses on certain people such as having anger management classes if someone drinks when angry

117
Q

What is social skills

A

helps people learn necessary skills to refuse alcohol or drugs in situations where it is available, such as making eye contact and being firm

118
Q

What else is used in social skills

A

role playing

119
Q

Who studied the effectiveness of CBT

A

Petry (2006)
gamblers attending GA vs gamblers attending GA and CBT
second group gamble significantly less 1 year on

120
Q

What is another strength of CBT

A

provides skills to resist social pressure and deal witg everyday situations thus helps with relapse and addiction substitution

121
Q

Who found that CBt has no long term effects

A

Cowlishaw (2012)
reviewed 11 CBT studies
good short term effects but no long term effects

122
Q

What does CBT not account for

A

biological factors

123
Q

Why is CBT time consuming

A

10-15 one hour weekly sessions and homework
only motivated clients benefit
5X drop out rate of other treatments

124
Q

What does CBT ignore

A

the fact that it does not help home stressors such as stressful home life

125
Q

Who formulated the theory of planned behaviour

A

Azjen (1985)

126
Q

What is the theory of planned behaviour

A

an attempt to explain how we change behaviours which we can exercise self control

127
Q

What is central to this theory

A

intention

128
Q

The theory suggests that intentions arise from what three key infleunces

A

personal attitudes
subjective norms
percieved behavioural control

129
Q

What are personal attitudes

A

the sum of all of our knowledge, attitudes and prejudices
weighing up the positives and negatives
eg gambling gives me a thrill but it makes me lose money

130
Q

What are subjective norms

A

what we think other people think about our behaviour , particulary family and friends
our perception of other peoples attitudes

131
Q

What is perceived behavioural control

A

the extent to which we believe we can control our behaviour (self-efficacy)

132
Q

What is the most powerful influence

A

perceived behavioural control

133
Q

What two possible effects come with perceived behavioural control

A

influence our intention to behave in a certain way

influence behaviour directly

134
Q

Who provided some research support for TPB

A

Hagger et al (2011)
all 3 factors predicted behaviours for alcohol addictions
however did not predict binge drinking
suggested some addictions override intention meaning TPB isnt always applicable

135
Q

Who found that TPB doesnt always predcit behaviour

A

Miller and Howell (2005)
teen had positive attitudes, subjective norms and percieved control over buying lotto tickets but didnt actually carry out the behaviour
makes it question the focus of youth intervention programmes

136
Q

Why is there methodological issues with TPB

A

most use self reports to assess behaviour

137
Q

What is a strength of TPB

A

takes into account influence from peers which is significant in initiation and maintenence of an addiction

138
Q

What does TPB ignore

A

the role of emotions such as sadness and frustration which can play an important role in influencing behaviour

139
Q

What does Prochaska’s six stage model recognise

A

that overcoming addiction is a complex process that does not happy quickly or in a tidy linear order from the first to last stage, its a circular process where steps may be repeated or missed totally

140
Q

What is Prochaska’ six stage model based on

A

two major insights about behavioural change
firstly people differ at how ready they are to change their behaviour
secondly how useful treatment is depends on the stage they are in

141
Q

What are the six stages of behavioural change

A
precontemplation 
contemplation
preparation
action
maintenance
termination
142
Q

Explain the precontemplation stage

A

not thinking about changing behaviour in near future

could be due to denial or demotivation

143
Q

Explain the contemplation stage

A

thinking about making a change in the next 6 months

aware of benefits but also the costs

144
Q

Explain the preparation stage

A

beleives benefits are greater than costs
change within next month
havent decided when or how
most useful treatment - calling a helpline, talking to doctor

145
Q

Explain the action stage

A

action taken to reduce the risk
such as pouring alcohol down sink
most useful treatment - focus of developing coping skills to maintain behaviour

146
Q

Explain the maintenance stage

A

maintained behaviour for more than 6 months

focus on relapse prevention such as avoiding cues

147
Q

Explain the termination stage

A

newly acquired behaviours become automatic
they not longer return to addiction as a coping mechanism
relapse is inevitable for some
no intervention is required

148
Q

What are some positive evaluations of the six stage model

A

looking at change as a series allows us to match interventions to the stage someone is in instead of a one size fits all method
meaures being developed to allow people to classify their stage and receive tailored help
it has a realistic view of relapse as an inevitable part of the process rather than failure which helps with self efficacy

149
Q

What are some negative evaluations of the six stage model

A

David (2006) and Cahill (2012) believe interventions based on the model are no more successful than other approaches
The difference between stages is often “blurry” e.g. the difference between contemplation and preparation is vague as its the difference of 1 week
Descriptive but not predictive