L7: Cognitive Models of Addiction Flashcards
(22 cards)
What do cognitive models of addiction explain?
How mental processes such as attention, craving, and automaticity contribute to the development and maintenance of addiction.
How do cognitive models complement biological models of addiction?
They address the psychological mechanisms involved in addiction, while biological models focus on biological factors like dopamine system activation.
What is attentional bias in the context of cognitive addiction?
The tendency for individuals to automatically focus on substance-related cues in the environment.
What is the significance of the Salience Network (SEN) in addiction?
It biases attentional resources towards substance-related stimuli.
What did Wilcockson et al. (2016) find about alcohol users?
Alcohol users exhibited a higher break frequency in tasks involving alcohol-related stimuli, showing a specific attentional bias for alcohol stimuli
* These attention shifts were not conscious - automatic and unconscious attentional bias
* Also showed deficits in inhibitory control
supports the idea that addiction includes a loss of control over attention and behaviour
What does impaired top-down control signify in addiction?
A deficit in Executive Control Network (ECN) functioning that impairs the ability to suppress drug-related impulses.
What does Current Concern Theory suggest about addiction?
(Klinger and Cox, 2004)
- Life is organised around the pursuit of goals
- Having a goal = having a current concern for achieving the goal
- Current concern -> thoughts are organised around the achievement of the goal -> sensitised to relevant information in the environment (cues)
The goal impacts the perception of the environment – attention influences behaviour
Sensitised to relevant information: Individual will notice, recall, think about, dream about, and act on cues associated with the goal pursuit
Explains attentional biases and persistent motivation toward substance.
What is the main idea behind Incentive-Sensitisation Theory?
Robinson & Berridge, 1993
Addiction causes changes in brain systems involved in processing motivation and reward, leading to hypersensitivity to addiction-related stimuli.
* The brain starts forming strong links between certain contexts (like locations, emotions, people) and the drug-taking behaviour.
* Even if the person doesn’t consciously want the drug, being in those contexts can trigger automatic behaviours or cravings, leading to relapse.
* Distinction between ‘liking’ a substance and ‘wanting’
What is the distinction between ‘liking’ and ‘wanting’ in addiction?
‘Wanting’ is more motivational and associated with repetitive use, while ‘liking’ is the enjoyment of the substance.
Craving (wanting) persists even without liking the substance.
What do associations refer to in the context of alcoholism?
(Tiffany, 1990)
Alcoholics develop many associations between drinking and pleasurable emotions, everyday thoughts, and aspects of daily routine.
These associations develop automatically as a result of practice
What is the Network Approach in understanding addiction?
It considers interconnected brain networks rather than modular models.
SEN, DMN and ECN
What are the functions of the Executive Control Network (ECN)?
It governs goal-directed behavior and inhibition.
It actively processes information and makes conscious decisions.
What did Zhang (2019) find regarding DMN dysfunction in addiction?
Decreased functional connectivity in anterior DMN and increased connectivity in posterior DMN, linked to drug use despite negative consequences.
How does addiction disrupt communication between brain networks?
It weakens connections among the DMN, SEN, and ECN, affecting attention control and cognitive resource allocation.
What can DMN activity predict regarding addiction?
It may help predict an individual’s risk for developing a substance use disorder (SUD).
What is the benefit of using resting-state imaging for DMN analysis?
It is more cost-effective and carries less risk compared to PET scans.
What treatments are suggested for modulating DMN activity?
Brain stimulation, nicotine replacement therapy, behavioral interventions, and mindfulness-based interventions.
What does the cognitive triad of addiction include?
Attentional Bias (SEN), Rumination (DMN), Impaired Control (ECN).
Fill in the blank: The tendency for individuals to automatically focus on substance-related cues is known as _______.
attentional bias
True or False: The Default Mode Network (DMN) is primarily responsible for processing external stimuli.
False
Fill in the blank: The brain’s hypersensitivity to addiction stimuli is explained by _______.
Incentive-Sensitisation Theory
