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Participants’ Sensitivity to Percentage Payback and Credit Value When Playing a Slot-Machine Simulation

Participants’ Sensitivity to Percentage Payback and Credit Value When Playing a Slot-Machine... Legalized gambling has become both a major industry and concern in the United States, but little research from the behavior-analytic perspective has been done on the topic. The present study consisted of two experiments that had participants play a computer-simulated slot machine. The variables manipulated were the percentage payback rate (i.e., overall rate of reinforcement) and the amount of money the credits being wagered were worth (i.e., reinforcer magnitude). Experiment 1 investigated these variables using a between-groups design. Experiment 2 investigated them using a within-subjects design. Results from both experiments demonstrated that participants’ gambling behavior did not vary as a function of payback percentage. Their behavior was, however, sensitive to credit value; overall, participants bet less when the credits were worth more. These findings have potential implications for why some people display “problem gambling.” They will also hopefully promote research on a topic that has been largely ignored by the field of behavior analysis. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Behavior and Social Issues Springer Journals

Participants’ Sensitivity to Percentage Payback and Credit Value When Playing a Slot-Machine Simulation

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Publisher
Springer Journals
Copyright
Copyright © 2004 by Jeffrey N. Weatherly and Andrew E. Brandt
Subject
Psychology; Clinical Psychology; Personality and Social Psychology
ISSN
1064-9506
eISSN
2376-6786
DOI
10.5210/bsi.v13i1.34
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Legalized gambling has become both a major industry and concern in the United States, but little research from the behavior-analytic perspective has been done on the topic. The present study consisted of two experiments that had participants play a computer-simulated slot machine. The variables manipulated were the percentage payback rate (i.e., overall rate of reinforcement) and the amount of money the credits being wagered were worth (i.e., reinforcer magnitude). Experiment 1 investigated these variables using a between-groups design. Experiment 2 investigated them using a within-subjects design. Results from both experiments demonstrated that participants’ gambling behavior did not vary as a function of payback percentage. Their behavior was, however, sensitive to credit value; overall, participants bet less when the credits were worth more. These findings have potential implications for why some people display “problem gambling.” They will also hopefully promote research on a topic that has been largely ignored by the field of behavior analysis.

Journal

Behavior and Social Issues – Springer Journals

Published: May 1, 2004

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