Psychology Commons^™

Does Providing Accurate Information About Slot Machines Alter How Participants Play Them?, Jeffrey N. Weatherly, Ellen Meier

Analysis of Gambling Behavior

It is a commonly held belief that irrational thoughts held by gamblers can pro-mote gambling behavior and ultimately pathological gambling. Some evidence exists to support this view, but little experimental work demonstrates that con-fronting these beliefs will lead to a decrease in gambling behavior. Eighteen non-pathological participants were given the option to play a slot machine for money. After gambling in two sessions, they were given accurate information about the independence of turns programmed by a slot machine, the negative rate of return of a slot machine over time, or both. Participants were then given the option to gamble in …