Lesson 4.3.10.1

4.3.10.1 Describing addiction and its risk factors Quiz: AQA Psychology, Unit 3

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson 4.3.10.1, Describing addiction and its risk factors: 20 multiple choice questions for the AQA Psychology (7182), Unit 3: Issues and options in Psychology, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. What is tolerance in addiction?

    • A need for increasing amounts of a substance to achieve the same effect
    • A strong craving that occurs only when the substance is not available in a room
    • A pleasant feeling produced by a substance that lasts for only a few minutes
    • A reduced ability to feel the effects of a substance after a single dose

  2. What is withdrawal syndrome?

    • A set of positive effects that occur only during the first dose of a substance, and which fade quickly as the body becomes used to it over time
    • A sudden increase in energy that occurs after a long period of sleep, and which is linked to the release of hormones in the morning
    • A rise in appetite that occurs after eating a meal high in fat and sugar, which leads the person to overeat in the hours that follow the meal
    • A set of unpleasant physical or psychological symptoms that occur when use of a substance stops or is reduced

  3. What is physical dependence?

    • A strong emotional attachment to family members who also use the substance
    • A preference for social activities that take place in a bar or pub
    • A belief that a substance will improve one's performance in a work task
    • The body adapts to a substance so that stopping it causes withdrawal symptoms

  4. What is psychological dependence?

    • A strong desire or craving for a substance, often linked to emotional needs and cues
    • A reduction in sensitivity to pain caused by a long-term change in the spinal cord
    • A genetic change that prevents the body from breaking down the substance
    • A physical change in the body that causes withdrawal symptoms within a few hours

  5. Which of the following is a genetic risk factor for addiction?

    • A fixed level of cortisol that is produced by the liver in every person
    • Heritable variation in reward sensitivity or neurotransmitter function
    • A fixed number of neurons in the cerebellum that determines motor skill
    • A fixed level of ghrelin that is produced only by the adrenal glands

  6. Which personality trait is most often linked to risk of addiction?

    • Agreeableness, a tendency to be cooperative and trusting in social situations
    • Conscientiousness, a tendency to be organised and careful with plans
    • Sensation seeking, a tendency to seek novel and intense experiences
    • Openness to experience, a tendency to enjoy art and new ideas

  7. Which social influence is most often linked to the start of substance use in adolescents?

    • Peer pressure and modelling of use by friends or family
    • Taste aversion following a single illness after eating a particular food
    • Neophobia towards unfamiliar foods served at family meals
    • Cognitive distortions about the body weight of other people in the group

  8. A person takes a substance more often over several months and needs larger amounts each time to feel the same effect. Which features are described?

    • Withdrawal syndrome, and a reduced pattern of use
    • Neophobia, and a preference for unfamiliar foods
    • Taste aversion, and a learned dislike of the substance
    • Tolerance, and an escalating pattern of use

  9. A person experiences shaking, sweating and anxiety when they stop using a substance. Which feature is most directly shown?

    • Withdrawal syndrome, a set of physical and psychological symptoms that appears when substance use stops
    • Tolerance, the need for increasing amounts of a substance in order to achieve the same effect over time
    • Desensitisation, a reduced emotional response to violence after repeated exposure to violent media content
    • Taste aversion, a learned dislike of a food after it has been paired with nausea or illness in the past

  10. Which evaluation point applies to the classification of addiction as physical or psychological dependence?

    • The two forms often occur together, so separating them completely in practice can be difficult
    • The two forms have been shown to be caused by the same single gene in every case
    • The two forms never occur together, so each can be measured separately in every person
    • The two forms are identical, so there is no need to distinguish them at any time

  11. Which evaluation point applies to genetic explanations of addiction?

    • Genetic factors guarantee addiction in anyone who carries the relevant variant
    • Genetic factors can only be studied in animals and cannot be examined in humans
    • Genetic factors have been shown to have no link with addiction in any population
    • Genetic influence is probabilistic, and environmental factors such as peer use also contribute

  12. A researcher finds that the children of parents with addiction are more likely to develop addiction, even when raised by non-using adoptive families. Which conclusion is most supported?

    • Addiction is entirely genetic, and no environmental factor influences it in any case
    • Addiction is entirely environmental, since adoptive families are always the sole cause
    • Genetic vulnerability may contribute to addiction risk, although environment also has an influence
    • Addiction is unrelated to parents, since adoptive children always avoid substances

  13. Which statement best describes the role of personality in addiction?

    • Personality has no role in addiction, since all people are equally likely to become dependent
    • Personality affects only the taste of food and not any form of substance use
    • Personality determines addiction completely, and environment has no influence
    • Traits such as impulsivity and sensation seeking may increase vulnerability to substance use

  14. Which combination best describes the risk factors for addiction?

    • Genetic vulnerability, personality and social influences interacting over time
    • Hormonal levels alone, with all other factors having no role in any person
    • Genetic vulnerability alone, with personality and social influences having no role
    • Social influences alone, with genetic vulnerability and personality having no role

  15. Why is tolerance a risk factor for escalating substance use?

    • Tolerance makes a substance lose all of its effects, so the person stops using it entirely
    • Tolerance leads a person to take larger amounts to achieve the same effect, increasing exposure and dependence
    • Tolerance prevents the body from producing any dopamine, so no further use is possible
    • Tolerance causes a fall in the desire for the substance, which removes all cravings

  16. A teenager with high impulsivity and a family history of addiction starts using a substance after friends encourage it. Which set of factors is described?

    • Taste aversion, neophobia and classical conditioning of food cues alone
    • Cortisol production and adrenaline production alone with no social factors
    • Genetic vulnerability, personality and social influence interacting
    • Operant conditioning of a rat in a laboratory with no human contact

  17. Which evaluation point applies to research on personality and addiction?

    • Personality measures can only be applied to animals and not to human participants
    • Personality measures have been shown to be irrelevant to all forms of behaviour
    • Personality measures are correlational and may be influenced by the presence of substance use
    • Personality measures always show that addiction is impossible for any type of person

  18. What does the term dependence describe in the context of addiction?

    • A state in which a substance has no effect on the body's systems
    • A state in which a person has no interest in any substance at any stage of their life
    • A state in which a person eats only foods that are familiar from childhood
    • A state in which the person needs the substance to function normally or to avoid withdrawal

  19. A person develops tolerance to alcohol but no withdrawal when stopping. Which statement is most accurate?

    • Tolerance always means withdrawal will occur on stopping, so the two are inseparable features
    • Tolerance can occur without withdrawal, so tolerance alone does not indicate physical dependence
    • Withdrawal always occurs before tolerance, which means tolerance is a symptom of withdrawal
    • Tolerance means the body has lost all ability to feel any effect of alcohol at any dose

  20. A person who uses a drug only at parties, and feels cravings only then, is most likely showing which feature?

    • Genetic vulnerability that prevents any learning about the drug's effects
    • Psychological dependence linked to social cues
    • Tolerance that makes the drug's effects disappear entirely after a single dose
    • Physical dependence with severe withdrawal on every day of the week

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