American Indians and Non-Indians Playing a Slot-Machine Simulation: Effects of Sensation Seeking and Payback Percentage

A, Gillis; Jd, McDonald; Jn, Weatherly

doi:10.5820/aian.1501.2008.18

AIANMHR

2008

DOI: 10.5820/aian.1501.2008.18

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American Indians and Non-Indians Playing a Slot-Machine Simulation: Effects of Sensation Seeking and Payback Percentage

Gillis A

McDonald Jd²,

Weatherly Jn³

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Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…Basic research shows that organisms are generally (e.g., Herrnstein, 1961), but not perfectly (e.g., Baum, 1974), sensitive to relative rates of reinforcement. However, several studies from our laboratory have failed to find such sensitivity when participants gamble (Gillis, McDonald, & Weatherly, 2008;Weatherly & Brandt, 2004). These studies assessed sensitivity across conditions or sessions rather than when the options were presented concurrently, which may have hindered discrimination (e.g., Shah, Bradshaw, & Szabadi, 1989).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Choice Behavior of Nonpathological Women Playing Concurrently Available Slot Machines: Effect of Changes in Payback Percentages

Weatherly

Thompson

Hodny

et al. 2009

J of App Behav Analysis

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In a simulated casino environment, 6 nonpathological women played concurrently available commercial slot machines programmed to pay out at different rates. Participants did not always demonstrate preferences for the higher paying machine. The data suggest that factors other than programmed or obtained rate of reinforcement may control gambling behavior, which should encourage behavior analysts to look beyond direct, contingency-driven explanations of gambling.

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mentioning

confidence: 99%

Choice Behavior of Nonpathological Women Playing Concurrently Available Slot Machines: Effect of Changes in Payback Percentages

Weatherly

Thompson

Hodny

et al. 2009

J of App Behav Analysis

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…However, recent research shows no significant differences in gambling behaviour between Aboriginal Americans and non-Aboriginal Americans on sensation-seeking indices, payback percentages of slot machines, and sensibility to the actions and/or ethnicity of a confederate. Therefore, differences in prevalence rates may not be caused by genetic predispositions of Aboriginal peoples but rather to external factors (Gillis et al 2008;McDougall et al 2007). …”

mentioning

confidence: 97%

An Exploration of the Connection between Child Sexual Abuse and Gambling in Aboriginal Communities

Dion

Collin‐Vézina

Sablonnière

et al. 2009

Int J Ment Health Addiction

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Child sexual abuse (CSA) lead to short-term sequelae and long-lasting pervasive outcomes. Research has started addressing CSA as a potential risk factor for later addictions, including pathological gambling. Among Aboriginal peoples, it is plausible that the legacy of residential schooling and other historical traumas have led to unresolved grief that contribute to social problems, such as pathological gambling. The purpose of this brief paper is to report on the few available studies examining the connection between CSA and later pathological gambling. Results show that gambling is more prevalent among Aboriginal than non-Aboriginal populations. Although no causal relationship has been confirmed, experiences of CSA may be related to the later development of pathological gambling among the general population as well as among Aboriginal peoples. However, this link appears complex and indirect and future researches are highly needed. Recommendations based on the implications of this link are proposed for prevention, treatment, and research.

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An Analysis of Switching and Non-switching Slot Machine Player Behaviour

Coates

Blaszczynski

2012

J Gambl Stud

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Learning theory predicts that, given the repeated choice to bet between two concurrently available slot machines, gamblers will learn to bet more money on the machine with higher expected return (payback percentage) or higher win probability per spin (volatility). The purpose of this study was to investigate whether this occurs when the two machines vary orthogonally on payback percentage and volatility. The sample comprised 52 first year psychology students (mean age = 20.3 years, 20 females, 32 males) who had played a gaming machine at least once in the previous 12 months. Participants were administered a battery of questionnaires designed to assess level of knowledge on the characteristics and operation of poker machines, frequency of poker machine play in the past 12 months, personality traits of impulsivity and capacity for cognitive reflection, and gambling beliefs. For the experimental task, participants were instructed to play on two PC-simulated electronic gaming machines (EGMs or slot machines) that differed on payback percentage and volatility, with the option of freely switching between EGMs after a practice phase. Results indicated that participants were able to easily discriminate between machines and manifested a preference to play machines offering higher payback or volatility. These findings diverged from previous findings of no preference for play on higher payback/volatility machines, potentially due to of the current study's absence of the option to make multi-line and multi-credit bets. It was concluded that return rate parameters like payback percentage and volatility strongly influenced slot machine preference in the absence of betting options like multi-line bets, though more research is needed to determine the effects of such betting options on player distribution of money between multiple EGMs.

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American Indians and Non-Indians Playing a Slot-Machine Simulation: Effects of Sensation Seeking and Payback Percentage

Cited by 4 publications

References 15 publications

Choice Behavior of Nonpathological Women Playing Concurrently Available Slot Machines: Effect of Changes in Payback Percentages

Choice Behavior of Nonpathological Women Playing Concurrently Available Slot Machines: Effect of Changes in Payback Percentages

An Exploration of the Connection between Child Sexual Abuse and Gambling in Aboriginal Communities

An Analysis of Switching and Non-switching Slot Machine Player Behaviour

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