scholarly journals Gambling and ageing: less illusion but more risk

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-20
Author(s):  
Maylis Fontaine ◽  
Valérie Le Floch ◽  
Céline Lemercier

Abstract Seniors are a population of concern due to exposure to both increasing gambling venues and powerful age-specific risk factors. There has been only limited research on this population so far, but studies conducted among younger adults suggest that the illusion of control is a key factor, leading players to develop strategies that increase their risk-taking in gambling. Time perspective (TP) is a good indicator of risky behaviours in a number of different areas, including health and the environment. In the present study, we sought to identify the age-specific cognitive mechanisms underlying gambling behaviour in normal ageing. We asked 115 emerging adults (mean age = 20.86 years), 86 young adults (mean age = 30.59), 82 middle-aged adults (mean age = 44.57) and 108 seniors (mean age = 65.19) to play an online game. We rated their illusion of control, risk-taking and TP. Analysis revealed that seniors took more risks and had less illusion of control than younger adults. The fatalistic-present TP positively influenced the illusion of control, such that perceiving the present as being determined by uncontrollable forces increased the perceived level of control. Finally, we found an influence of age on TP. These results suggest that seniors constitute a specific population in terms of gambling-related cognitions and behaviours. Including TP in risky behaviour assessments would allow the development of tailor-made preventive measures.

2020 ◽  
Vol 73 (6) ◽  
pp. 941-956
Author(s):  
Wijnand AP van Tilburg ◽  
Nikhila Mahadevan

We examined the impact of viewing exemplars on people’s behaviour in risky decision-making environments. Specifically, we tested if people disproportionally choose to view and then imitate the behaviour of successful (vs. unsuccessful) others, which in the case of risky decision-making increases risk-taking and can hamper performance. In doing so, our research tested how a fundamental social psychological process (social influence) interacts with a fundamental statistical phenomenon (regression to the mean) to produce biases in decision-making. Experiment 1 ( N = 96) showed that people indeed model their own behaviour after that of a successful exemplar, resulting in more risky behaviour and poorer outcomes. Experiment 2 ( N = 208) indicated that people disproportionately choose to examine and then imitate most successful versus least successful exemplars. Experiment 3 ( N = 381) replicated Experiment 2 in a context where participants were offered the freedom to examine any possible exemplar, or no exemplar whatsoever, and across different incentive conditions. The results have implications for decision-making in a broad range of social contexts, such as education, health, and finances where risk-taking can have detrimental outcomes, and they may be particularly helpful to understand the role of social influence in gambling behaviour.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Imogen M Kruse

The near-miss effect in gambling behaviour occurs when an outcome which is close to a win outcome invigorates gambling behaviour notwithstanding lack of associated reward. In this paper I postulate that the processing of concepts which are deemed controllable is rooted in neurological machinery located in the posterior parietal cortex specialised for the processing of objects which are immediately actionable or controllable because they are within reach. I theorise that the use of a common machinery facilitates spatial influence on the perception of concepts such that the win outcome which is 'almost complete' is perceived as being 'almost within reach'. The perceived realisability of the win increases subjective reward probability and the associated expected action value which impacts decision-making and behaviour. This novel hypothesis is the first to offer a neurological model which can comprehensively explain many empirical findings associated with the near-miss effect as well as other gambling phenomena such as the ‘illusion of control’. Furthermore, when extended to other compulsive behaviours such as drug addiction, the model can offer an explanation for continued drug-seeking following devaluation and for the increase in cravings in response to perceived opportunity to self-administer, neither of which can be explained by simple reinforcement models alone. This paper therefore provides an innovative and unifying perspective for the study and treatment of behavioural and substance addictions.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kai Dou ◽  
Ming-Chen Zhang ◽  
Yue Liang

The association between future time perspective and risk-taking behaviors has received extensive empirical attention. However, the underlying mechanism that links future negative time perspective to risk-taking behaviors are complex and not well-understood. To address this gap, we adopted a longitudinal design examined the association between FNTP and risk-taking behaviors, and the roles of coping styles and self-control in this association among Chinese adolescents (total N = 581, 46.3% females). Results showed that FNTP at wave 1 predicted risk-taking behavior at wave 3 via positive and negative coping styles at wave 2. Furthermore, adolescents with low self-control and used negative coping strategies prefer to engage in risk-taking behaviors as compared to their high self-control counterparts. Taken together, these research findings underscore the importance of considering influence of the future negative time perspective on adolescents’ risk-taking behaviors, and provided important implications for developing the preventions and interventions for reducing adolescents’ risk-taking behaviors.


2009 ◽  
pp. 75-90
Author(s):  
Fiorenzo Laghi

- The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of both alcohol expectancies and time perspective on this risky behaviour in order to allow the development of future prevention programs, by evaluating the relationships between these variables. 2075 high school students were asked to fulfil different questionnaires concerning their consumption attitude, their beliefs on alcohol, and their time perspective. According to previous studies, the sample was classified in non drinkers, social, binge and heavy drinkers. Consistent with our hypothesis, statistical analysis showed that both alcohol expectancies and time perspective significantly differ within these groups, thus being powerful predictors of high risk drinking patterns.


2017 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 62-77
Author(s):  
Gabriel P. Heaslip ◽  
Bonnie L. Barber

Adolescence is a period of heightened risk-taking. Therefore it is important to investigate positive settings that can facilitate healthy adolescent development and reduce risk-taking behaviour. This study investigated the relations between non-sporting extracurricular activity participation intensity and risky behaviour. Adolescents’ coping efficacy was tested as a moderator between extracurricular activity participation and risk-taking among adolescents at different levels of contextual risk. Adolescents (N = 1,599) across Western Australia were surveyed. Results for moderately at-risk youth indicated a significant interaction, such that greater activity intensity was associated with less risk-taking for adolescents with higher coping efficacy. However, higher intensity activity participation predicted more risk-taking for adolescents with low coping efficacy.


2010 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 271-285 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frédéric Martinez ◽  
Valérie Le Floch ◽  
Bernard Gaffié ◽  
Gaëlle Villejoubert

Author(s):  
Puspanjali Mohapatro ◽  
Rashmimala Pradhan

Objective: This study is designed to examine the risk taking behaviours that are harmful to students at a selected university. In this case, high-risk behaviours have been studied, such as harmful behaviours, coercion, smoke, alcohol contain substance abuse, and drug addiction. Materials and methods: Current study which is a type of descriptive survey research. The sample of this study included 200 students from a selected university in Bhubaneswar, who were selected through a convenient sampling technique. The Self -structured questionnaire tool has been used for a to collect socio demographic variables. A Structured checklist developed to measure risk taking behaviour. For this section rating scale was adopted with score was low risk, medium risk and high risk. In this study, score range 14-28 divided in to 3 scales- Low risk (14-18), Medium (19-24), High (25-28). A behavioural rating scale was used to analyse the behaviour. Results: The results showed that the increase in risky behaviour among students was 87% and higher for boys than girls and 40% for campus students had a higher risk of alcohol use. About 69.5% of the age group 19-27 were involved in alcohol consumption due to level of high living standard, high sources of income and happiness. Conclusion: The results of the study on identification of risky behaviours to precedence among students, by accessing a high-risk behaviour profile will help policymakers accurately identify student behaviours to make plan for promoting health improvements activity, with to linking the group's real needs and challenges.


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