title: The relationship between reinforcement and gaming machine choice.
abstract: The present study assessed whether prior reinforcement experiences were related to gaming machine choice and the decision to change gaming machines during a session of gambling. Seventy undergraduate students (48 women, 22 men; mean age = 22.05 years) were presented with two visually identical simulated gaming machines in a practice phase. These simulated machines differed only in the rate of reinforcement. After the practice phase, participants were asked to choose a machine to play in the test phase and were allowed to change machines at will. Two measures of reinforcement were employed; frequency of wins and payback rate. Results indicated that neither measure of reinforcement was related to machine choice, but both were predictors of when participants changed machines. A post-hoc analysis of the 33 participants who changed machines during the test phase found a significant relationship between machine choice and prior reinforcement. For these participants, payback rate was significantly related to machine choice, unlike frequency of wins.
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, University of Western Sydney, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith South DC, NSW, 1797, Australia. john.haw@uws.edu.au
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Haw
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D016739:Behavior, Addictive / Q000523:psychology*; D002755:Choice Behavior; D003213:Conditioning, Psychological; D005260:Female; D005715:Gambling / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008297:Male; D009517:New South Wales; D012055:Reinforcement Schedule; D012201:Reward; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology