The effect of reward magnitude differences on choosing disadvantageous decks in the Iowa Gambling Task.
In the Iowa Gambling Task, participants have to develop a long-term profitable monetary scenario in a situation of uncertainty and a conflict between the chance of encountering an immediate large reward (100 US dollars) in two long-term loosing decks (A and B; -250 US dollars per 10 cards) and the chance of encountering an immediate small reward (50 US dollars) in two long-term winning decks (C and D; +250 US dollars per 10 cards). The ratio of the immediate rewards in decks A/B and C/D is thus 2:1. Here, we manipulated these differences in reward magnitude between the advantageous (C/D) and disadvantageous (A/B) decks, while keeping the net gains and losses per 10 cards the same, to assess the impact of the conflict between immediate and distant pay-off on choice behaviour. Participants selected less cards from disadvantageous decks and won more money when the reward magnitude difference was decreased, A/B:C/D=1:1, while they selected more cards from disadvantageous decks and lost more money when reward magnitude differences were increased, A/B:C/D=4:1 and 6:1. This study shows that the outcome in the Iowa Gambling Task is sensitive to differences between the magnitude of immediate rewards in the advantageous and disadvantageous decks.
van den Bos
Ruud
R
Ethology and Welfare, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Yalelaan 2, NL-3584 CM Utrecht, The Netherlands. R.vandenBos@las.vet.uu.nl
Houx
Bart B
BB
Spruijt
Berry M
BM
D000328:Adult; D002755:Choice Behavior; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology; D004298:Dopamine / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D005715:Gambling; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011581:Psychological Tests; D012054:Reinforcement, Psychology; D012201:Reward
D004298:Dopamine