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Vulnerabilities to addiction must have their impact through the common currency of discounted reward1

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 July 2008

George Ainslie
George Ainslie
Affiliation:
Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Coatesville, PA 19320. George.Ainslie@va.govwww.picoeconomics.com
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Abstract

The ten vulnerabilities discussed in the target article vary in their likelihood of producing temporary preference for addictive activities – which is the phenomenon that puzzles conventional motivational theory. Direct dopaminergic stimulation, but probably not the other vulnerabilities, may contribute to the necessary concavity of addicts' delay discounting curves, as may factors that the senior author analyzes elsewhere. Whatever their origins, these curves can themselves account for temporary preference, sudden craving, and the “automatic” habits discussed here.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 31 , Issue 4 , August 2008 , pp. 438 - 439
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2008

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