4 - Learning Theory explanation for nicotine addiction

including reference to cue reactivity

Learning Theory (AO1) - Cue reactivity

Classical conditioning (Pavlov)

• UCS - effects of nicotine (increased dopamine)

• NS - environmental stimulus

• UCR - decrease of dopamine level to restore equilibrium

• CS - environmental stimulus (now associated with effects)

• CR - decrease of dopamine level below equilibrium

• Causes withdrawal symptoms, incentivising the smoker to continue smoking to restore dopamine levels and feel better

Various stimuli can become associated with the effects of nicotine, like moods (stress), situations (inside a beer garden) and environmental factors (smelling cigarette smoke)

Learning Theory (AO1)

Operant conditioning (Skinner)

• Positive reinforcement - Smoking causes dopamine release, providing pleasure, incentivising them to do it again

• Negative reinforcement - Smoking relieves stress and withdrawal symptoms, incentivising them to do it again

Social Learning Theory

• Observing role models smoking, and imitating them to be like them and get the same rewards from it that they do via vicarious reinforcement

Learning Theory (AO3) - Cue reactivity in real life

A strength of this is there is real world application to help treat addiction

Calvert (2009)

• found that smokers that were shown cigarette packets experienced activation in the ventral striatum and nucleus accumbens

suggests there is a biological explanation for craving behaviour, and also suggests cue reactivity, as they were activated by cues, instead of the actual presence of nicotine

research incentivised the UK government to make cigarette packets unappealing, showing the damaging effects of smoking instead of brands, to help reduce the impact of cues in maintaining addiction. Also moving cigarettes behind the cashier in shops to help disincentivise smokers

strengthens the usefulness of this theory

Learning Theory (AO3) - Social learning theory in real life

A strength of this is there is research evidence to support social learning theory as an explanation for nicotine addiction

Brynner (1969)

• found media depictions of smoking made perceptions of it being attractive and tough

• increased motivation to smoke due to role models in media being imitated by watchers

US National Institute of Drug Abuse (2005)

• found that 90% of US smokers started as adolescents, attributed to observing and imitating peers

incentivised the government to implement watershed laws, banning the showing of people smoking before specific times, banning people smoking in children’s shows outright, and banning main positive role models from smoking

strengthens the usefulness of this theory

Learning Theory (AO3) - role of conditioning

A strength is there is research evidence of the role of conditioning to explain nicotine addiction

Shiffman and Waters (2004)

• found that sudden increases in negative mood states were more involved in relapse as opposed to slower changes in stress levels

suggests that there is an operant conditioning element via negative reinforcement as the sudden undesired mood is taken away through smoking, providing relief

this incentivises the person to want to smoke when they get a sudden mood slump