Exploring the Motivational and Emotional Aspects of Gambling

探索赌博的动机和情感方面

• 批准号: RGPIN-2018-03963
• 负责人: Dixon, Michael
• 金额: $ 4.68万
• 依托单位: University of Waterloo
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2019
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2019-01-01 至 2020-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=691292
• 关键词: Exploring; Motivational; Emotional; Aspects; Gambling

This proposal investigates the motivational and emotional consequences of engaging in two very popular activities namely gambling and gaming. Anyone who has played scratch cards has experienced the frustration of “just missing” winning the jackpot. We have shown that for example getting two of the three symbols needed to win a large prize is a very common outcome in scratch cards that leads to feelings of frustration, but also the motivation to buy more cards. Here we will show that the frustration of these so called “near-misses” not only affects how we feel but also leads to increases in physiological arousal. This is important because arousal increases have been thought of as one of the central reinforcers of gambling behavior. We will examine the emotional consequences of these near-misses in different types of scratch card games. In our slot machine investigations we have documented that one of the reasons frequent players enjoy playing is because they enter an unusual state of hyper-focused attention that they call “the zone”. While in this zone players forget about everything else except the game. They experience distortions in the passage of time. Their descriptions are reminiscent of “flow” states which are thought to be related to positive “peak” experiences. Because in the gambling context forgetting all else except the game and not realizing how much time has passed has negative consequences (i.e., spending more time and money than intended). In acknowledgement of these negative consequences we refer to this state as “dark flow”. Research on flow states suggests that they are achieved when there is an optimal balance of skill and challenge. If a game is too easy it will be boring, if it is too hard it will be frustrating. If it is challenging but players can advance in the game it induces flow. We will look at flow in gaming and gambling contexts. In one series of studies we will investigate flow in the context of the hugely popular game Candy Crush. This game has elements of skill and as players advance difficulty increases. We propose that one of the factors that makes this game so popular is that it induces flow. We will also look at (dark) flow in video games and in poker. A final line of investigation will be to explore a new class of slot machines that include elements of skill. We will explore whether the addition of skill components to standard slots games exacerbates dark flow. Our research has direct implications for policy involving the regulations surrounding slot machines and other forms of gambling. It also will provide training opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students seeking to learn experimental techniques and ultimately how to shape policy.

该建议调查了参与两项非常受欢迎的活动（即赌博和游戏）的动机和情感后果。任何玩过刮擦卡的人都会感到沮丧，因为“刚刚失踪”赢得了大奖。我们已经表明，例如，获得赢得大奖所需的三个符号中的两个是刮擦卡中非常普遍的结果，这会导致挫败感，但也有动力购买更多卡片。在这里，我们将证明这些所谓的“近亲”的挫败感不仅会影响我们的感受，而且会导致身体唤醒的增加。这很重要，因为唤醒增加被认为是赌博行为的中心增强剂之一。我们将在不同类型的刮擦纸牌游戏中研究这些近乎失误的情感后果。在我们的老虎机调查中，我们记录了玩家经常喜欢玩的原因之一是因为他们进入了不寻常的关注状态，他们称之为“区域”。在这个区域，玩家却忘记了除游戏以外的所有其他内容。他们在时间的流逝中遇到扭曲。他们的描述想起了“流”状态，这些状态被认为与积极的“峰值”经历有关。因为在赌博环境中忘记了除游戏以外的所有其他事情，而没有意识到花费了多少时间会带来负面后果（即花费时间和金钱比预期的要多）。在承认这些负面后果时，我们将此状态称为“黑暗流”。对流动状态的研究表明，当技能和挑战达到最佳平衡时，它们就可以实现。如果游戏太容易，那将是无聊的，如果太难了，那将是令人沮丧的。如果受到挑战，但玩家可以在游戏中进步，它会影响流程。我们将研究游戏和赌博环境中的流程。在一系列研究中，我们将在广受欢迎的游戏Candy Crush的背景下研究流动。该游戏具有技能的要素，并且随着玩家的发展而增加困难。我们建议使游戏如此受欢迎的因素之一是它影响流动。我们还将查看视频游戏和扑克中的（黑暗）流。最后的投资将是探索包括技能要素的新老虎机。我们将探索在标准插槽游戏中增加技能组件是否加剧​​了黑暗流量。我们的研究对涉及围绕老虎机和其他形式赌博的法规的政策具有直接影响。它还将为寻求学习实验技术并最终如何制定政策的本科生和研究生提供培训机会。