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Articles 1 - 30 of 36
Full-Text Articles in Theory and Philosophy
Using Misconceptions To Improve Education Programs That Aim To Prevent Gambling Problems, Brittany Keen, Alex Blaszczynski, Fadi Anjoul
Using Misconceptions To Improve Education Programs That Aim To Prevent Gambling Problems, Brittany Keen, Alex Blaszczynski, Fadi Anjoul
International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking
No abstract provided.
Considering Contingencies Of Gambling Research In Conjunction With The Behavior Analyst Certification Board Professional And Ethical Compliance Code, Mack S. Costello, R. Wayne Fuqua
Considering Contingencies Of Gambling Research In Conjunction With The Behavior Analyst Certification Board Professional And Ethical Compliance Code, Mack S. Costello, R. Wayne Fuqua
Analysis of Gambling Behavior
The issues that are the focus of this paper can be exemplified in two questions relevant to danger and validity in behavioral gambling research: Is there danger of reinforcing problem gambling behavior in experiments where gambling is a dependent variable? And, do reliable laboratory effects represent something key in development or maintenance of gambling problems, or have some other applied pragmatic value? Behavior analytic research is performed in an ethical manner, and the concerns of the above questions are typically minimized. The persistence of the questions is discussed, as well as the value of research in relation to behavioral treatments. …
Reel Outcomes As Discriminative Stimuli: A Case For Reporting Single Subject Data, Benjamin N. Witts, Mark J. Rzeszutek, Kaitlen Dahlberg
Reel Outcomes As Discriminative Stimuli: A Case For Reporting Single Subject Data, Benjamin N. Witts, Mark J. Rzeszutek, Kaitlen Dahlberg
Analysis of Gambling Behavior
While slot machine gambling research in behavior analysis is on the rise, we still have many unanswered questions. Exploring the putative discriminative functions a series of reel outcomes might have on the perceived likelihood of future success (i.e., winning) might prove useful in understanding what motivates gamblers to continue gambling despite losses. In the current study, undergraduate participants watched eight videos of five reel spins each of varying win and loss (including near-miss) outcomes. Participants then provided estimations of the likelihood of winning on five upcoming hypothetical spins. While participants viewed their chances of winning as poor, strategic placement of …
Initial Selection Between Simulated Slot Machines Is Allocated Toward Slot Machines With A Preferred Theme: A Brief Report, Benjamin N. Witts
Initial Selection Between Simulated Slot Machines Is Allocated Toward Slot Machines With A Preferred Theme: A Brief Report, Benjamin N. Witts
Analysis of Gambling Behavior
Many factors influence a gambler’s responding with respect to slot machine selection, persistence in playing that machine, and repeated selections of that machine again on subsequent occasions. One potential area of influence over these responses that has received little attention in slot machine gambling research is slot machine branding. In this study, 7 of 8 participants allocated initial responding to a slot machine which was branded with a preferred, rather than non-preferred, theme, even though in some cases experience with payout percentages differed.
Annotated Bibliography Of Behavior Analytic Scholarship Outside Of Analysis Of Gambling Behavior: 2013-2015, Mack S. Costello, Seth W. Whiting, Jamie L. Hirsh, Neil Deochand, Taylor Spencer
Annotated Bibliography Of Behavior Analytic Scholarship Outside Of Analysis Of Gambling Behavior: 2013-2015, Mack S. Costello, Seth W. Whiting, Jamie L. Hirsh, Neil Deochand, Taylor Spencer
Analysis of Gambling Behavior
Previous scholarly reviews have summarized behavior analytic gambling literature up to 2012 and have identified Analysis of Gambling Behavioras the primary journal for such scholarship. This article includes an annotated bibliography of behavioral literature centered on gambling and related issues published outside of Analysis of Gambling Behavior from 2013 to 2015.
Free-Operant Research In The Experimental Analysis Of Human Slot Machine Gambling, Benjamin N. Witts, Elizabeth Harri-Dennis
Free-Operant Research In The Experimental Analysis Of Human Slot Machine Gambling, Benjamin N. Witts, Elizabeth Harri-Dennis
Analysis of Gambling Behavior
Since the pioneering days of the experimental analysis of behavior, free-operant methods have been the hallmark of a behavioral science because they permit investigators to track moment to moment changes in behavior rate. Behavior rate as a dependent variable is more sensitive to momentary changes than statistical analysis, discrete-trial arrangements, and between-subject examinations of aggregate data. In reviewing the gambling literature on slot machine studies, we found that none has focused on free-operant preparations. This lack of free-operant use is likely because of the limitations in designing a practical apparatus to study slot machine gambling through free-operant means. We provide …
Slot Machine Near Wins: Effects On Pause And Sensitivity To Win Ratios, Tadhg E. Daly, Gordon Tan, Lincoln S. Hely, Anne C. Macaskill, David N. Harper, Maree J. Hunt
Slot Machine Near Wins: Effects On Pause And Sensitivity To Win Ratios, Tadhg E. Daly, Gordon Tan, Lincoln S. Hely, Anne C. Macaskill, David N. Harper, Maree J. Hunt
Analysis of Gambling Behavior
When a near-win outcome occurs on a slot machine, stimuli presented resemble those presented when money is won, but no money is won. Research has shown that gamblers prefer and play for longer on slot machines that present near wins. One explanation for this is that near wins are conditioned reinforcers. If so, near wins would produce longer latencies to the next response than clear losses. Another explanation is that near wins produce frustration; if so, then near wins would produce shorter response latencies. The two current experiments manipulated win ratio across two concurrently available slot machines and also manipulated …
What Variables Predict Endorsing Gambling As An Escape On The Gfa-R?, Jeffrey N. Weatherly, Katie B. Miller
What Variables Predict Endorsing Gambling As An Escape On The Gfa-R?, Jeffrey N. Weatherly, Katie B. Miller
Analysis of Gambling Behavior
The present investigation attempted to determine what variables would predict participants’ endorsing of gambling as an escape on the Gambling Functional Assessment – Revised (GFA-R). Study 1 employed 224 university students as participants. Results of a hierarchical linear regression showed that responses on the GFA-R escape subscale were predicted by their GFA-R positive reinforcement subscale, Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI), and South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS) scores, but not by the risk factors of pathological gambling. Study 2, which employed 188 university students, replicated those findings and also found that participants’ self-reported locus of control and gambling expectancy scores, cumulatively, …
Using Unsolvable Anagrams To Induce Escape: Will It Increase Gambling Behavior?, Sarah G. Martner, Kevin S. Montes, Jeffrey N. Weatherly
Using Unsolvable Anagrams To Induce Escape: Will It Increase Gambling Behavior?, Sarah G. Martner, Kevin S. Montes, Jeffrey N. Weatherly
Analysis of Gambling Behavior
Previous research has found an association between gambling as a means of escape and pathological gambling. Likewise, previous laboratory research has found an association between gambling as a means of escape and participants’ gambling behavior. The present experiment had 41 participants play video poker in two sessions. Prior to one session, participants were asked to solve a series of solvable word puzzles. Prior to the other, they were asked to solve a series of unsolvable word puzzles. Consistent with previous research, results demonstrated that participants’ video-poker play was associated with their overall tendency to endorse gambling as a function of …
Probability Discounting In A Sample Of American Indians: Gambling As An Escape Predicts Discounting Of Monetary, But Not Non-Monetary, Outcomes, Jeffrey N. Weatherly, J. Douglas Mcdonald, Adam Derenne
Probability Discounting In A Sample Of American Indians: Gambling As An Escape Predicts Discounting Of Monetary, But Not Non-Monetary, Outcomes, Jeffrey N. Weatherly, J. Douglas Mcdonald, Adam Derenne
Analysis of Gambling Behavior
The present study investigated the relationship between measures of gambling and the process of probability discounting in a sample of participants from a population that has historically shown high rates of gambling problems. Thirty nine American Indian university students complete the South Oaks Gambling Screen, the Gambling Functional Assessment – Revised, and a probability-discounting task involving two monetary and two non-monetary outcomes. Consistent with results from previous research focusing on majority-population participants, severity of gambling problems was more strongly associated with endorsing gambling as an escape than with gambling for positive reinforcement. Endorsing gambling as an escape, but not for …
Evaluating Preference And Rate Of Gambling On Vedio Slot Machines, Mark R. Dixon, Jeffrey R. Miller, Seth W. Whiting, Alyssa N. Wilson, Allie M. Hensel
Evaluating Preference And Rate Of Gambling On Vedio Slot Machines, Mark R. Dixon, Jeffrey R. Miller, Seth W. Whiting, Alyssa N. Wilson, Allie M. Hensel
Analysis of Gambling Behavior
Casinos increasingly are providing access to five-reel video slot machines and as a result are decreasing the use of traditional three-reel slot machines. Limited research has been conducted on the characteristics of play associated with video slot machines. The present study examined participant’s play on a five-reel video slot machine, comparing the number of trials played while wagering one credit on five lines versus five credits on one line. After participants were exposed to both conditions they were asked to choose their preferred condition. The results found that participants played significantly more trials while playing during the five credits on …
Gambling Behavior And Temporal Discounting Among Militaryaffiliated And Civilian Students, Kevin S. Montes, Jeffrey N. Weatherly
Gambling Behavior And Temporal Discounting Among Militaryaffiliated And Civilian Students, Kevin S. Montes, Jeffrey N. Weatherly
Analysis of Gambling Behavior
The present study explored whether the contingencies maintaining gambling behavior differed for military-affiliated and non-military-affiliated students. It also tested for differences in how these groups discounted delayed outcomes. Three groups of students participated: Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) students (n = 36), students with a relative in the military (n = 62), and students with no relative in the military (n = 58). Participants completed the Gambling Functional Assessment-Revised and a delaydiscounting task. Results indicated that all participants’ gambling behavior was maintained primarily by positive reinforcement. Moreover, ROTC students scored significantly higher on gambling for positive reinforcement, and significantly lower …
Gambling In A Laboratory Setting: A Comparison Of Gambling For Positive Reinforcement Versus As A Potential Escape, Jeffrey N. Weatherly, Katelyn Mari, Kevin S. Montes
Gambling In A Laboratory Setting: A Comparison Of Gambling For Positive Reinforcement Versus As A Potential Escape, Jeffrey N. Weatherly, Katelyn Mari, Kevin S. Montes
Analysis of Gambling Behavior
Research has shown that most individuals’ gambling is maintained more by positive, than by negative, reinforcement but that disordered gambling is more strongly related to gambling maintained by negative, than positive, reinforcement. Forty five participants were recruited to play video poker in two different sessions: one in which they competed for a $50 gift card and one in which they could play after trying to solve unsolvable anagrams. Higher measures of gambling were observed in the gift-card, than in the anagram, session, but none of the differences were statistically significant and the observed effect sizes were small. Participants’ annual income …
A Rat Model Of Gambling Behavior And Its Extinction: Effects Of "Win" Probability On Choice In A Concurrent-Chains Procedure, David N. Kearns, Maria A. Gomez-Serrano
A Rat Model Of Gambling Behavior And Its Extinction: Effects Of "Win" Probability On Choice In A Concurrent-Chains Procedure, David N. Kearns, Maria A. Gomez-Serrano
Analysis of Gambling Behavior
Two experiments examined the effects of varying the probability of “wins” within a rat model of gambling. On a concurrent-chains procedure, rats could choose between a “work” lever on which a fixed 20 responses produced a food pellet or a “gamble” lever, where on some trials (“wins”) only one response was required for reinforcement while on other trials 40 responses were required. Despite the fact that the work lever was always associated with the higher overall reinforcement rate, rats frequently chose to respond on the gamble lever. The frequency with which rats chose the gamble lever varied as a function …
Comparing Three Strategies Of Motivating Gambling Behavior In The Laboratory Environment, Jeffrey M. Peterson, Jeffrey N. Weatherly
Comparing Three Strategies Of Motivating Gambling Behavior In The Laboratory Environment, Jeffrey M. Peterson, Jeffrey N. Weatherly
Analysis of Gambling Behavior
The present study compared three methods of motivating participants’ gambling behavior in a laboratory environment. Thirteen university students played in three sessions of video poker, which differed in whether participants were 1) asked to play “as if” gambling real money, 2) staked with real money, and 3) in competition with other participants for a gift card. Also measured was whether participants’ reported annual income would influence their gambling behavior under these conditions. Results showed that the number of hands played and the accuracy of game play did not differ across the different sessions. The number of credits bet, which is …
Altering Probability Discounting In A Gambling Simulation, Benjamin N. Witts, Patrick M. Ghezzi, Jeffrey N. Weatherly
Altering Probability Discounting In A Gambling Simulation, Benjamin N. Witts, Patrick M. Ghezzi, Jeffrey N. Weatherly
Analysis of Gambling Behavior
In gambling, our decisions regarding what gambles to take and how much we are willing to wager might, in part, be influenced by our histories with respect to gambling outcomes. Given a less temporally-distant history with gambling that favors losses, wins, or breaking even may create alterations in one’s discounting pattern, albeit most likely temporary. Given the topographical similarity between gambling procedures and probabilistic discounting tasks, probability discounting was used to assess potential changes in discounting resulting from a gambling task designed specifically for this study. Probabilistic discounting patterns for 38 undergraduate students before and after exposure to a simulated …
Behavioral Gerontology And Gambling: The Jackalope Of Behavior Analysis, Jonathan C. Baker
Behavioral Gerontology And Gambling: The Jackalope Of Behavior Analysis, Jonathan C. Baker
Analysis of Gambling Behavior
Older adults constitute over one third of all gamblers in the United States. As the baby-boom generation continues to reach older adulthood, this proportion is likely to grow. To date, behavior-analytic research on gambling has focused on younger populations. Although such research is necessary and important, the present account will suggest that additional research should focus on studying older gamblers. The purpose of the present account is to review the literature that exists on typical behavior changes observed in older-adult populations and the implications for those changes related to current behavior-analytic research in gambling.
The Effect Of Relational Training On The Near-Miss Effect In Slot Machine Platers, Becky L. Nastally, Mark R. Dixon
The Effect Of Relational Training On The Near-Miss Effect In Slot Machine Platers, Becky L. Nastally, Mark R. Dixon
Analysis of Gambling Behavior
In the current study, six slot machine players were exposed to two concurrently available computer simulated slot machines (one yellow and one blue). The blue slot machine produced a high frequency of near-miss outcomes and the yellow slot produced no such outcomes. Both machines produced reinforcement on a random-ratio 10 schedule and response options were presented in a free operant paradigm. After a 50-trial exposure, participants completed multiple exemplar training and testing as well as a stimulus-sort task to form a relation between the color blue and ‘worse-than’ and then were re-exposed to the slot machine task for another 50 …
Investigating The Relationship Between Escape And Gambling Behavior, Jeffrey N. Weatherly, Kevin S. Montes, Danielle M. Christopher
Investigating The Relationship Between Escape And Gambling Behavior, Jeffrey N. Weatherly, Kevin S. Montes, Danielle M. Christopher
Analysis of Gambling Behavior
Recent research suggests that there is a potentially strong relationship between gambling as a means of escape and the presence of pathological gambling. The goal of the present study was to establish whether there was a correlation between endorsing gambling as a means of escape and how participants played video poker in a laboratory setting. Forty eight participants completed several questionnaires and then played video poker. Results demonstrated that endorsement of gambling as a means of escape, as measured by the Gambling Functional Assessment (Dixon & Johnson, 2007), was significantly positively correlated with number of credits risked during video-poker play. …
A Review Of Petry & Madden’S Chapter Discounting And Pathologicalgambling In Impulsivity: The Behavioral And Neurologicalscience Of Discounting, Becky L. Nastally
A Review Of Petry & Madden’S Chapter Discounting And Pathologicalgambling In Impulsivity: The Behavioral And Neurologicalscience Of Discounting, Becky L. Nastally
Analysis of Gambling Behavior
Petry and Madden contribute a revealing chapter on the relationship between discounting and pathological gambling to Madden and Bickel’s (2010) Impulsivity: The Behavioral and Neurological Science of Discounting. Within the chapter, the authors note the increased interest in the topic of delay discounting and gambling while presenting some obscurities in the existing body of literature further research will need to address, including the co-occurring role of substance abuse in pathological gamblers. Additionally, the chapter outlines theoretical interpretations of discounting as they relate to gambling behavior as well as highlights the need for further research in the area of probability discounting …
Temporal Discounting And Gambling: A Meaningful Relationship?, Jeffrey N. Weatherly
Temporal Discounting And Gambling: A Meaningful Relationship?, Jeffrey N. Weatherly
Analysis of Gambling Behavior
Pathological gambling is an important and large societal problem. Theorists and researchers have linked pathological gambling to rates of temporal discounting, although not all attempts to do so have been successful. Unfortunately, popular measures of temporal discounting each have weaknesses, and studies of discounting have tended to focus on one particular commodity – hypothetical monetary rewards. Evidence exists to suggest that problem and pathological gambling is also linked to escape contingencies. If so, these findings could potentially explain the link that has been found between temporal discounting and gambling. Implications and predictions of this possibility are discussed.
Social Influence When Males Gamble: Perceptions And Behavior, Jeffrey N. Weatherly, Brittany Bushaw, Ellen Meier
Social Influence When Males Gamble: Perceptions And Behavior, Jeffrey N. Weatherly, Brittany Bushaw, Ellen Meier
Analysis of Gambling Behavior
Experiment 1 tested whether the gambling behavior of 12 non-pathological male participants would be altered by the presence and/or gender of a confederate who also gambled and whether participants’ self reports would match their actual behavior. Results showed that although actual gambling behavior did not vary as a function of the presence or gender of a confederate, participants reported that it did. Experiment 2 tested whether the gambling behavior of nine non-pathological males would be altered by the presence of a confederate and/or whether the confederate won or lost. Results showed that the presence of the confederate increased gambling, but …
Do Cognitive Fallacies Predict Behavior When Nonpathological Gamblers Play Slot Machines And Video Poker?, Jeffrey N. Weatherly, K. A. Flannery
Do Cognitive Fallacies Predict Behavior When Nonpathological Gamblers Play Slot Machines And Video Poker?, Jeffrey N. Weatherly, K. A. Flannery
Analysis of Gambling Behavior
A popular notion found in the research literature is that gambling, and gambling problems, are associated with illogical beliefs. The present study investigated whether peoples’ subscription to cognitive fallacies related to gambling would be significant predictors of their actual gambling behavior. Twenty participants completed several questionnaires designed to assess cognitive fallacies related to gambling and then had the opportunity to gamble money on video poker and a slot machine. Results showed that faulty beliefs were seldom significant predictors of actual gambling behavior. In the lone instance in which such beliefs predicted gambling, the predictive relationship was in the opposite direction …
Blackjack Players Demonstrate The Near Miss Effect, Mark R. Dixon, Becky L. Nastally, Adam D. Hahs, Mollie Homer-King, James W. Jackson
Blackjack Players Demonstrate The Near Miss Effect, Mark R. Dixon, Becky L. Nastally, Adam D. Hahs, Mollie Homer-King, James W. Jackson
Analysis of Gambling Behavior
The effect of the ‘near-miss’ as a potential conditioned reinforcer in slot machine play has recently been the subject of behavioral research on gambling. The present study extends prior research by examining this effect during the game of blackjack. Participants consisted of college undergraduates with no history of problematic gambling. Their verbal ratings of closeness to winning were recorded and examined for each of 50 hands of standard blackjack per session. Results indicated that as the number difference between the dealer and player’s hands decreased, closeness to win rating increased. Also for each participant, non-bust losses were rated closer to …
Using Performance Feedback To Teach Video Poker Players To Gamble Better, Mark R. Dixon, James W. Jackson
Using Performance Feedback To Teach Video Poker Players To Gamble Better, Mark R. Dixon, James W. Jackson
Analysis of Gambling Behavior
The present investigation reports two studies that examined the performance of non-pathological recreational video poker gamblers. In the first experiment, seven participants played three types of video poker games in a within partici-pants randomized sequence design. The percentage of errors made across games revealed the game variant “Deuces Wild” yielded more frequent mistakes than “Jacks or Better” or “Bonus Poker.” The second experiment consisted of a new sample of 11 participants being exposed to “Deuces Wild” poker to initially assess error percentages. Next, participants were all provided with performance feedback regarding their play, and finally the feedback was removed to …
Do The Risk Factors For Pathological Gambling Predict Temporal Discounting?, Jeffrey N. Weatherly, Adam Derenne, Samantha Chase
Do The Risk Factors For Pathological Gambling Predict Temporal Discounting?, Jeffrey N. Weatherly, Adam Derenne, Samantha Chase
Analysis of Gambling Behavior
Weatherly and Dixon (2007) proposed that gambling was related to the increase in how individuals discount delayed (monetary) consequences and that several of the known risk factors for pathological gambling may serve as establishing operations or setting events that lead to such changes. The present study tested these predictions by having participants complete a paper-and-pencil discount-ing task involving hypothetical monetary consequences and determining wheth-er self-reported measures of the known risk factors would significantly predict participants’ rate of discounting. None of the risk factors served as significant predictors of discounting. Interestingly, however, the rate of discounting varied systematically as a function …
Temporal Discounting Predicts How People Gamble On A Slot Machine, Jeffrey N. Weatherly, Joanna M. Marino, Joanna M. Marino, F. Richard Ferraro
Temporal Discounting Predicts How People Gamble On A Slot Machine, Jeffrey N. Weatherly, Joanna M. Marino, Joanna M. Marino, F. Richard Ferraro
Analysis of Gambling Behavior
The gambling research literature suggests that temporal discounting may be as-sociated with problem gambling, but research has not demonstrated that rates of discounting predict differences in actual gambling behavior. Thirty eight indi-viduals of different ages and backgrounds were recruited to complete several questionnaires, including a delay-discounting task. They were then given $10 in tokens with the opportunity to gamble on a slot machine. How steeply partici-pants discounted the delayed (hypothetical) monetary rewards was a significant predictor of they gambled. Gender, age, and reported annual income were not significant predictors. To our knowledge, these data are the first to demonstrate that …
Studying Gambling Experimentally: The Value Of Money, Jeffrey N. Weatherly, Ellen Meier
Studying Gambling Experimentally: The Value Of Money, Jeffrey N. Weatherly, Ellen Meier
Analysis of Gambling Behavior
Determining whether “gambling” behavior in the laboratory differs as a function of whether or not participants are risking actual money is important because the outcome will determine whether results from laboratory research can be genera-lized to actual gambling. Eighteen participants played video poker in two sepa-rate sessions. In one, they risked credits that had no monetary value and in the other they risked credits worth money. Results showed that participants played a similar number of hands and played with similar accuracy regardless of whether or not the credits had monetary value. However, participants risked significantly fewer credits when the credits …
Rats Playing A Slot Machine: A Preliminary Attempt At An Animal Gambling Model, Jeffrey N. Weatherly, Adam Derenne
Rats Playing A Slot Machine: A Preliminary Attempt At An Animal Gambling Model, Jeffrey N. Weatherly, Adam Derenne
Analysis of Gambling Behavior
Due to certain ethical and procedural considerations, it is not possible to con-duct certain experimental studies on human gambling behavior. Animal mod-els of gambling may hold some utility because they can possibly overcome these considerations. The present experiment was a first attempt to establish an animal model of gambling by having rats play a “slot machine.” Rats pressed a lever on a fixed-ratio 5 schedule of reinforcement. In the Cue conditions, a bank of stimulus lights flashed after the completion of the ratio, with the pattern of lights that subsequently remained illuminated signaling what consequence would be received (i.e., a …
The Role Of "Experience" When People Gamble On Three Different Video-Poker Games, Jeffrey N. Weatherly, David P. Austin, Katie Farewell
The Role Of "Experience" When People Gamble On Three Different Video-Poker Games, Jeffrey N. Weatherly, David P. Austin, Katie Farewell
Analysis of Gambling Behavior
The present experiment was designed to determine if and how experience might alter individuals’ gambling when playing video poker. Twelve self-identified “experienced” poker players and 12 self-identified “novices” were recruited to play video poker across three different sessions. A different game (i.e., Jacks or Better, Bonus Poker, or Loose Deuces) was played in each session, with these games differing in what strategies were optimal. “Experienced” participants displayed more knowledge of poker than their “novice” counterparts. However, the only observed difference in the gambling between “experienced” and “no-vice” players was in how much they bet per hand, with “experienced” players betting …