title: The cognitive underpinnings of addiction.
abstract: A new conditional reasoning measure was developed to evaluate the role of implicit biases in perpetuating addictive behavior. Data (N = 669) were collected in 2005 from two samples in a suburban area: individuals with a known history of chemical dependency and individuals from the general population. Results indicated a strong correlation between overall test scores and group membership (r(pb) = .48), which increased when the groups' demographic characteristics were equalized (r(pb) = .65). Overall, findings suggest that addiction-prone individuals rely on a distinct set of cognitive biases that rationalize self-destructive behavior. The study's limitations are noted and implications and directions for future research are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, USA. bowlerj@ecu.edu
authors.forename: Jennifer L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Bowler
authors.forename: Mark C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Bowler
authors.forename: Lawrence R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: James
mesh_terms: D016739:Behavior, Addictive / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D003071:Cognition; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011340:Problem Solving; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000523:psychology*