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| Emerging Research in the Behavioral Analysis of Gambling: Session I |
| Saturday, May 29, 2004 |
| 2:30 PM–3:50 PM |
| Fairfax B |
| Area: EAB/CSE; Domain: Applied Research |
| Chair: Holly M. Stubnar (Southern Illinois University) |
| Discussant: Scott Sanders (Southern Illinois University) |
| Abstract: . |
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| Toward Standardized Methodology in Gambling Research: A Fully Programmable Slot Game |
| CHARLES A. LYONS (Eastern Oregon University), Mark R. Dixon (Southern Illinois University) |
| Abstract: Two barriers to a behavioral analysis of gambling are related to laboratory analogues of games of chance. One involves the question of value: can laboratory studies accurately model the large monetary wins and losses that strongly influence real-world betting? Another issue involves laboratory methodology: can procedures be standardized to allow replication, using a realistic gambling apparatus that also allows full experimental control of betting trials? The current work addresses this issue. An earlier Visual Basic virtual slot program (MacLin, Dixon, & Hayes, 1999) was modified to more accurately model the action of three-reel slots. A 9 x 9 display matrix, including the payout line as well as the lines both above and below, can be completely specified for each trial. Other aspects under experimenter control include speed of reel spin, duration of reel spin, visual and auditory stimuli accompanying various magnitudes of wins, and feedback display of credits accumulated. Dependent measures include trial-by-trial data and overall session averages and totals. An “inputmaker” program simplifies the specification of experimental parameters, and provides for transition between programs specifying different payout schedules or extinction. It is suggested that this programmable slot will improve the experimental study of interesting gambling phenomena such as the “near miss.” |
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| The Impact of Perceived Luck on Future Gambling Behaviors |
| DUSTIN DAUGHERTY (University of Northern Iowa), Adam Sauceda (University of Northern Iowa), Patience R. Niemoth (University of Northern Iowa), Otto H. Maclin (University of Northern Iowa) |
| Abstract: This paper will describe three different studies: 1) a replication of Wohl, and Enzle (2003) which found that people are more likely to see themselves as lucky immediately following a near lose as opposed to a near win, 2) a use of concurrent choice paradigm to determine whether an individual would prefer to play a slot machine that they nearly lost half of their money (near loss), or one where they nearly win a jackpot (near win), and 3) a study addressing the issue of perceived luck based on the Belief in Luck Scale in relation to betting patterns and how this differs between pathological and non pathological gamblers. Implications for the construction of a behavioral analysis of gambling will be presented. |
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| Know When to Hold Them & Know When to Fold Them: Inaccurate Rule Construction by the Gambler |
| MARK R. DIXON (Southern Illinois University), Jamie M. Dake (Southern Illinois University), Ashton J. Robinson (Southern Illinois University), Jeffrey E. Dillen (Southern Illinois University) |
| Abstract: The present paper will discuss the impact of self-generated inaccurate rules by persons who gamble. These inaccurate rules may serve a variety of functions, from producing deviations from the matching law when allocating responses across multiple gambling games, to sustaining gambling behavior under conditions of repeated losses. We will present data from a variety of studies whereby experimental conditions were arranged which led to subjects’ derivation of illogical descriptions of programmed contingencies. Specifically, we will show data from persons playing concurrently available slot machines who did not allocate their responses as predicted by either matching or maximization. We will also show data from roulette players that began to wager more money as they repeatedly were exposed to losing gambling situations. We will also discuss the utility of protocol analyses, estimations of subjective probabilities, and delay discounting analyses for assessing the impact of verbal behavior on gambling. |
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