Learning Model Of Addiction

Front 1

Initiation of smoking

Back 1

Associate experiences with a desirable outcome or reward.
Taking up smoking allows them to access a social network and could eliminate teasing.

Front 2

Maintenance of smoking

Back 2

External pressures remain prevalent.

You can get into a routine which is hard to resist.
Associate smoking with appetite reduction and digestion help.

Front 3

Relapse of smoking

Back 3

Handling a lighter can generate cravings of nicotine.
Very prevalent in society - pressure to return to their addictive behaviour.

Front 4

Initiation of gambling

Back 4

You see others winning and their expectation to win leads them to their first bet.
The excitment of the experiences reinforces positive feelings.

Front 5

Maintenance of gambling

Back 5

Classical conditioning - the individual continues to gamble because the material associated with their habit is presented to them on day to day basis. Operant conditioning - people continue to gambling in order to experience the buzz and reward. Although you do not win every time when gambling, this partial reinforcement produces a stronger need to gamble.

Front 6

Relapse of gambling

Back 6

The material associated with gamling is all around, particularly with such easy access to online gambling now. Gamblers are constantly reminded of their addictive behaviour causing them to relapse.

Front 7

Evaluation of the learning model

Back 7

• Neither conditioning explanation is sufficient alone. They cannot explain initiation because the first experience of smoking is unpleasant and according to this theory punishment should cause behaviours to cease so there must be something else leading the individual to continue to smoke.
• This theory focuses on nurture, however biological evidence (Lerman et al) has shown that nature does have a role and this questions the view that smoking addiction should be solely focused on the learning theory.