Cognitive Behaviour Models and Addiction Flashcards
Describe Classical Conditioning?
- Certain stimuli are connected with negative emotional states
Describe Social Learning Theory?
Through observation, imitation and reinforcement, we have learned to link certain emotions and behaviour to experiences
Describe Operant Conditioning?
Depression is caused when the environment removes positive reinforcement
Describe influencers in the second wave of behaviourism
2nd wave behaviourism: cognitive behavioural therapies
- Albert Ellis: Rational Emotive Therapy
- Aaron Beck: Cognitive Therapy, later Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
- Martin Seligman: Learned Helplessness
How did Pavlovs studies in learning behaviour develop the concept of “classical conditioning”?
Pavlov studies learning behaviour called conditioned reflex.
Over time, animal or human produce a reflex (unconscious) to a stimulus different to the original stimulus with which the behaviour was associated.
“classical conditioning”
Describe Watsons influence on behaviourism?
Watson, no objective analysis is possible, focuses on directly observable behaviour only, trying to bring it under control.
Psychology’s paradigm shifted from the mind to behaviour. Behaviour being learned behaviour.
Knowledge is commonly acquired via animal studies assuming that this knowledge can be transferred to humans.
“behaviourism”
How did Skinner go about developing “Operant conditioning”?
Skinner concentrated on how behaviour was affected by its consequences thus spoke of reinforcement and punishment as major factors that drive behaviour.
Thus the positive and negative reinforcement of learned behaviour.
“operant conditioning”
Give a brief summary of Aaron Beck’s Cognitive Therapy?
The idea behind cognitive therapy is that how we think determines how we feel and act. By changing dysfunctional thoughts, we relieve distress.
Dysfunctional thoughts arise when a person misinterprets a situation (cognitive distortion).
Cognitive restructuring is used to discover, challenge, modify and replace these negative and irrational thoughts.
What was the premise of Albert Ellis’ Rational Emotive Therapy?
People mistakenly blame external events for unhappiness thus our interpretation of these events create psychological distress. Ellis’ ABC module explains this process as follows:
A – Activating Event: Something happens in the environment around you.
B – Beliefs: You hold a belief about the event or situation.
C – Consequence: You have an emotional response to your belief.
How do we understand “activating events” from Albert Ellis’s model?
To understand the impact of the activating events, it is essential to look at the beliefs we hold about these experiences as well as the emotions that arise as a result of those beliefs.
By identify irrational thoughts, emotions, and beliefs we can find the cause for psychological distress (markers are e.g. absolutes, as in “I must,” “I should,” or “I cannot”).
After gaining insight and recognising these absolutes are challenged.
What was the idea behind Cognitive Therapy?
The idea behind cognitive therapy is that how we think determines how we feel and act.
By changing dysfunctional thoughts, we relieve distress. Dysfunctional thoughts arise when a person misinterprets a situation (cognitive distortion).
Cognitive restructuring is used to discover, challenge, modify and replace these negative and irrational thoughts.
How did Martin Seligman discover learned helplessness?
Observed helpless behaviour in dogs that were classically conditioned to expect an electrical shock after hearing a tone.
The dogs were placed in a shuttlebox with two chambers separated by a low barrier. On side’s floor was electrified, not the other.
The dogs previously subjected to the classical conditioning made no attempts to escape, even though avoiding the shock involved jumping over a small barrier.
What was the follow-up experiment Seligman used to prove his theory?
- Group 1: dogs were strapped into harnesses for a period of time and then released.
- Group 2: dogs placed in the same harnesses, subjected to electrical shocks that could be avoided by pressing a panel with their noses.
- Group 3: dogs received same shocks but were unable to control the shock, shocks seemed to be completely random and outside of their control.
- Outcome: group 3 did not jump the barrier
Describe how learned helplessness effects an individual?
- Learned helplessness is thought to contribute to feelings of anxiety and may influence the onset, severity, and persistence of these difficulties.
- For example, by experiencing chronic anxiety one might conclude finding relief is impossible, the feeling is unavoidable, untreatable. Life with anxiety might not be wanted.
- Over time learned helplessness could become something of a vicious cycle. People might fail to seek out options that may help which then contributes to greater feelings of helplessness and anxiety.
Why might it be that Learned Helplessness is not generalisable across all contexts?
It is suggested that a person’s explanatory style might contribute to the development of learned helplessness.
What are the explanatory styles that are used to predict learned helplessness?
- stable vs unstable: the experience/stressor changes across time or is persistent
- global vs local: the experience/stressor is universal in life or context dependent
- internal vs external: the experience/stressor is caused within or outside myself
What are the basic assumptions of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)?
- Thoughts, behaviours and feelings interact and influence each other.
- Negative thinking can drive emotional problems.
- This in return influenced how we behave.
- By changing the thinking process we change emotions and consequently behaviour.
Give the definition of an addiction?
“Addiction is manifested in any behaviour that a person craves, finds temporary relief or pleasure in but suffers negative consequences as a result of, and yet has difficulty giving up. In brief: craving, relief, pleasure, suffering, impaired control.”
What are the three stages used by Cognitive Behaviour Therapy to understand addiction?
- Thought: I cannot bear feeling anxious.
- Feeling - Emotion:** Worry and anxiety increases / **Feeling - Physical Sensation Muscle tension, rapid breathing, higher level of adrenaline.
- Safety-Behaviour: Drink alcohol to feel more relaxed.
How is classical conditioning used to perpetuate substance abuse?
- Repeated pairings of particular events, emotional states, or cues with substance use can produce craving for that substance.
- Over time, drug or alcohol use is paired with cues such as money, particular such places, people, time of day, emotions.
- Eventually, exposure to cues alone produces drug or alcohol cravings or urges that are often followed by substance abuse.
What are automatic thoughts?
Thoughts in the conscious mind - we are not very aware of them tend to pop into our head have a negative content.
How do you define assumptions?
Un-reflected rules that guide our life, society, culture, family.
How would you define “Core beliefs”?
Core beliefs are the least accessible cognitive content, present absolute beliefs around me and the world around me.
What are features of treatments?
- Particular therapeutic style
- Psychological formulation of the problem
- Collaborative relationship
- Structured sessions and therapy
- Goal-directed therapy
- Examines and questions unhelpful thinking
- Uses tools, techniques
- Teaches the client to become own therapists
- Uses home work, training and assignments
- Time-limited
- Sessions can be audio-recorded
