Griffiths

Question 0

Method and design

Answer 0

. Quasi-experiment

. Independent measures design

Question 1

Backgroung & aim

Answer 1

. Wagenaar suggests that gamblers select heuristics at the wrong occasion, giving them a feeling that they have reduced the overall uncertainty of gambling
. Whether skills involved in fruit machine gambling are ‘actual’ or ‘perceived’. AND to examine the cognitive activities of regular and non-regular fruit machine gamblers

Question 2

Sample

Answer 2

. 30 regular & 30 non-regular gamblers
. Regular: 29 male & 1 female
. Non-regular: 15 male and 15 female
. Volunteer sample from a poster

Question 3

Independent variables

Answer 3

1. Regular or Non-Regular gamblers

2. ‘Thinking aloud’ or ‘non-thinking aloud’

Question 4

Dependant variables

Answer 4

1. Behavioural - total number of plays in session, total number plays per min in session, win rate, total number of wins in session.
2. Cognitive activity - verbalisations in thinking aloud condition taped by players in thinking aloud condition having a lapel microphone
3. Perception of skill - measured by semi-structured interview

Question 5

Procedure

Answer 5

In arcade, each participant was given £3 to gamble on machine that gave 30 free gambles. Each participant was set the objective to ‘stay on’ the fruit machine for 60 gambles to break even and win back the £3. If they achieved 60 gambles they could choose to keep money or carry on gambling

Question 6

Controls

Answer 6

. Played on same fruit machine
. Randomly assigned to ‘thinking aloud’ or ‘non thinking aloud’ conditions
. All recordings transcribed within 24 hrs

Question 7

Results

Answer 7

. Behavioural findings - regular gamblers had higher playing rate, regular gamblers who thought aloud had a lower win rate
. Verbalisations - regular gamblers made more categories in personifying the machine, non-regular gamblers made more utterances in categories of confusion
. Interview - 18 non reg and 10 reg believe that skill involved is due to chance, 0 non reg and 8 reg believe they know when machine will pay out

Question 8

Conclusions & implications

Answer 8

. Reg gamblers are not more skilful than non reg
. Reg gamblers believe they are more skilful than they actually are
. Gamblers know they will lose but play with the money but not for it
. Reg gamblers make more irrational verbalisations, demonstrating cog bias