Students gamble on their phones in class; experts say 'personal responsibility' isn’t enough
Carnegie Mellon researcher says addiction impairs executive function, making simple 'take responsibility' messages ineffective.
Many therapists help gambling patients take responsibility for the effects of their addiction, but some experts say an approach that focuses exclusively on personal responsibility is insufficient for the extent of the problem Pennsylvania is now facing.
Linda Moya, a professor at Carnegie Mellon who studies the neuroscience of decision making, said at a recent event about gambling addiction that addicts have lost a crucial part of their executive function. Moya said it’s as if a bicyclist purposefully rode a bike into car traffic, got hit by a car, got back up and then turned right back towards traffic again.