MATCHING OBSERVATION TO ADDICTION THEORY

Over the years, many theories have been proposed to account for the ab errant behavior of drug dependent individuals. Heyman posits that the existing theories of drug dependence are inadequate to explain the com plex processes inherent in human drug-taking. He proposes that incongr uous behaviors that comprise addiction, such as continued drug use in spite of adverse consequences, can be explained by application of the matching law approach. While the matching law theory of addiction expl ains certain aspects of human behavior, its application to the area of addiction must be subjected to experimental verification.