Alexithymia, cumulative feedback, and differential response patterns on the Iowa Gambling Task.
Although the role of emotional processing is central to contemporary models of risky decision making, to date the role of trait emotional understanding has not been explored experimentally in this context. The current experiment (N=326) explores the role of alexithymia with respect to performance on the standard Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) and a version where cumulative financial feedback is obscured. Standard learning on the IGT was observed for those low in alexithymia. Those high in alexithymia learned to avoid disadvantageous decks over the first half of the task. However, over the later trials they showed a change in performance, shifting from advantageous to disadvantageous and back to advantageous decks again (termed an "explore-learn-change-return" strategy). It is argued that this is due to an inability to fully consolidate earlier learning and reduced sensitivity to losses. The absence of cumulative feedback independently resulted in reduced performance.
Ferguson
Eamonn
E
University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK. eamonn.ferguson@nottingham.ac.uk
Bibby
Peter A
PA
Rosamond
Sara
S
O'Grady
Claire
C
Parcell
Alison
A
Amos
Christopher
C
McCutcheon
Christine
C
O'Carroll
Ronan
R
D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000523:psychology*; D030141:Feedback, Psychological; D005260:Female; D005715:Gambling / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007206:Individuality; D007858:Learning; D008297:Male; D011581:Psychological Tests; D055815:Young Adult