Study Reveals Problem Gambling Stems from Cognitive Distortions
Problem gamblers tend to believe that there's a pattern where none exists, reveals a new study.
Conducted by the University of Konstanz in Germany and Clarkson University in New York, the investigation points out that people with pathological gambling issues are more susceptible to cognitive distortions.
This result contributes to the rising belief that these conditions are innate and not learned behaviors.
To reach this conclusion, the study examined 161 participants, 91 of whom were regular casino goers and 70 were control subjects.
Out of the gambling group, 28.6% suffered from pathological gambling, while only 2.9% of the control group did.
The participants were offered a choice between two slot machines with different winning percentages. The first had a 67% chance of winning, while the second had a 33% chance.
Although the odds were hidden from them, according to the researchers, it should've been clear which machine was the more favorable one with some experience and observation. However, this proved to be challenging for the pathological gamblers.
Obsession with Patterns
The finding revealed that individuals with gambling problems exhibited more "probability matching" behavior than those without gambling issues.
This mental process resembles the "gambler's fallacy," which is the idea that if a roulette ball has landed on red eight times in a row, it's now due to land on black.
While many of us can fall into this trap occasionally, the research suggests that problem gamblers are almost twice as likely to do so compared to the average person.
Lead author Wolfang Gaissmaier shared, "Our results indicate that gamblers are more inclined to impulsively bet based on perceived patterns. They're overly prone to consider seemingly random sequences as actually meaningful, and consequently, worth placing bets on."
Poor Cognitive Skills
Additionally, those with gambling issues struggled with cognitive reflection tasks, where they were expected to answer a series of questions assessing impulsiveness.
One question in the series required participants to figure out the cost of a ball and bat combo that totaled $1.10, with the bat being a dollar more expensive than the ball. Unfortunately, the correct answer, 5 cents for the ball, requires some mental effort compared to the easier-seeming yet wrong answer of 10 cents.
Several studies in recent years have underscored that the cause of gambling addiction stems from cognitive impairments.
For instance, a 2008 study surveyed 1,354 twins and discovered that those with a history of gambling struggles also displayed higher levels of cognitive difficulties than their non-gambling siblings.
Recently, a University of Iowa study found that there's a genetic predisposition to problem gambling, with close relatives of pathological gamblers being eight times more likely to develop the same condition.
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