Lesson 4.3.10.3

4.3.10.3 Explanations for gambling addiction Quiz: AQA Psychology, Unit 3

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson 4.3.10.3, Explanations for gambling addiction: 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 a variable ratio schedule of reinforcement?

    • Reinforcement is given only once, after the very first response the person makes
    • Reinforcement is given after a fixed time period regardless of how many responses are made
    • Reinforcement is given after a fixed number of responses every time without change
    • Reinforcement is given after an unpredictable number of responses, on average a set number

  2. What is partial reinforcement?

    • Reinforcement is given at the same time as a punishment to reduce the response
    • Reinforcement is withheld entirely so that the response is punished
    • Reinforcement is given for every response, with no exceptions at any time
    • Reinforcement is given for only some responses rather than every response

  3. Why is variable reinforcement associated with persistent gambling?

    • Reinforcement is never given during gambling, so people gamble only to avoid punishment
    • Reinforcement only occurs after a loss, so people gamble to lose money on purpose
    • Unpredictable wins make the behaviour resistant to extinction, so people keep playing
    • Predictable wins make the behaviour resistant to extinction, so people stop playing quickly

  4. What is a cognitive bias in gambling?

    • A fixed genetic variant that prevents the brain from recognising the outcome of a game
    • A physical habit of pressing a button in a particular rhythm during a machine game
    • A systematic error in thinking that makes losses seem less likely or wins seem more controllable
    • A strong preference for playing games in the morning rather than the evening

  5. What is the illusion of control?

    • The belief that a person can influence the outcome of a random event through skill or choice
    • The belief that every outcome in a game is fixed by the dealer before play begins
    • The belief that a gambler should stop playing after a single win in any game
    • The belief that losing is always caused by bad luck that cannot be controlled at all

  6. What is the gambler's fallacy?

    • The belief that a random event is always determined by the skill of the player
    • The belief that a random event becomes more or less likely because of previous outcomes
    • The belief that machines are programmed to pay out at fixed times in every hour
    • The belief that a gambler will always win if they keep playing for long enough

  7. A gambler who has lost five times in a row believes a win is now due. Which cognitive bias does this show?

    • The illusion of control
    • Taste aversion
    • Neophobia
    • The gambler's fallacy

  8. Which learning mechanism explains why a gambler continues to play after many losses?

    • Neophobia, where new games are feared and so are avoided
    • Fixed action pattern, where a set sequence of moves is triggered by the table
    • Taste aversion, where losses produce nausea that discourages further play
    • Variable ratio reinforcement, where unpredictable wins sustain the behaviour

  9. Which evaluation point applies to learning explanations of gambling addiction?

    • They explain reinforcement well but may not account for the thinking errors that also keep gamblers playing
    • They explain all gambling completely, with no role for thinking or belief at all, so cognitive biases are not needed in any account
    • They have been disproven by all studies of gambling carried out in casinos, so researchers now rely only on questionnaire evidence
    • They focus only on innate fixed action patterns triggered by the sound of machines, which means that learning plays no part in gambling

  10. Which evaluation point applies to cognitive explanations of gambling?

    • Cognitive biases are always the sole cause of gambling, with no other factor in any case
    • Cognitive biases have never been measured in any gambler in any study
    • Cognitive biases are caused by taste aversion, which removes all beliefs about chance
    • Cognitive biases may be a consequence of gambling as well as a cause of it, so direction is unclear

  11. A slot machine pays out on average every twenty plays, but at unpredictable times. Which schedule of reinforcement does this describe?

    • A variable ratio schedule
    • A fixed ratio schedule
    • A fixed interval schedule
    • A continuous schedule

  12. Which statement best describes why near misses may encourage continued gambling?

    • A near miss is always treated as a clear loss, which removes all desire to keep playing
    • A near miss causes a fall in heart rate, which makes the gambler stop playing immediately
    • A near miss has no effect on gamblers, since they ignore all outcomes that are not wins
    • A near miss may be interpreted as a sign of success, which strengthens the belief that a win is close

  13. A researcher finds that gamblers who believe they can influence slot machine outcomes gamble for longer. Which cognitive concept is best supported?

    • The illusion of control, which increases the time spent gambling
    • Taste aversion, which causes gamblers to dislike the machine after losing
    • Neophobia, which causes gamblers to avoid new machines in the casino
    • The gambler's fallacy, which decreases the time spent gambling after losses

  14. Why is variable ratio reinforcement more resistant to extinction than a fixed schedule?

    • Because variable ratio schedules remove all reinforcement, which makes responding unnecessary and so the behaviour soon disappears entirely
    • Because the gambler cannot predict when reinforcement will come, so the lack of a win does not signal that play has stopped paying
    • Because the gambler receives reinforcement after every response, so extinction never begins and the behaviour is kept going at a steady rate
    • Because the gambler stops responding after the first loss, so extinction is immediate and the gambler quickly stops playing the machine

  15. Which of the following is a feature of a cognitive explanation of gambling addiction?

    • Gamblers are conditioned to salivate at the sound of a machine in the same way as Pavlov's dogs
    • Gamblers have high levels of cortisol that make them unable to make any choices
    • Gamblers hold biased beliefs about chance and control that maintain their play
    • Gamblers have a fixed genetic tendency that determines every decision they make

  16. A gambler watches others win and believes their own luck is about to change. Which bias is most relevant?

    • Cue reactivity, or a craving triggered by smoking cues in the casino
    • The gambler's fallacy, or a belief that a win is due
    • Taste aversion, or a learned dislike of the casino's food
    • Neophobia, or a fear of trying new games in the casino

  17. Which statement best summarises learning and cognitive explanations of gambling addiction?

    • Gambling is caused entirely by genes and no learning or cognition is involved, so the environment does not influence gambling at all
    • Gambling is caused entirely by fixed action patterns triggered by the environment, so no thinking or learning is ever involved in the behaviour
    • Variable reinforcement sustains play, and cognitive biases such as the illusion of control maintain it
    • Gambling is caused entirely by taste aversion to foods eaten in the casino, so the problem is removed once the gambler stops eating there

  18. A gambler sets a limit but keeps playing after losing it, believing the next bet will recover everything. Which bias does this best show?

    • A belief that the next outcome can be influenced to recover earlier losses, which reflects the illusion of control
    • A taste aversion that makes the gambler dislike the casino after losing a bet in the past
    • A cue reactivity response to the sight of the cashier's counter, which triggers craving for another bet
    • A neophobic fear of trying new machines in the casino, which stops the gambler from changing games

  19. Which combination best describes learning explanations of gambling?

    • Variable reinforcement and classical conditioning of cues such as lights and sounds
    • Hostile attribution bias and minimalisation of losses in the gambler's own account of events
    • Eysenck's personality dimensions and the boundary model of restrained eating in the gambler
    • Fixed action patterns and innate releasing mechanisms triggered by the design of the casino

  20. A gambler finds that a machine's lights and sounds make them want to play, even when they have no money left. Which explanation fits?

    • Fixed action pattern, in which the lights trigger an innate sequence of behaviour that cannot be changed
    • Classical conditioning, in which the lights and sounds have become cues that trigger craving to play
    • Neophobia, in which the gambler fears any new object or machine in the casino and avoids it
    • Taste aversion, in which the gambler has learned to dislike the lights after a previous illness in a casino

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