This course aims to be informative and practical. It focuses on developing learners’ overall knowledge on the history, prevalence, theories, research, assessment, and interventions of different types of behavioral addiction, including gambling disorder, gaming disorder, internet/smartphone addiction, compulsive eating and buying, and workaholism. Specific attention will be paid to their biological, neurological, and cognitive features and mechanisms. Students will learn to identify different types of risk factors for the development and maintenance of behavioral addiction. Through team project and experiment participation, students will have hands-on experience of theory application and use of common assessment tools in the Chinese context.
