Habitual Gamblers See Patterns Where There Are None, Study Says

DESCRIPTION

Are habitual gamblers different from occasional recreational gamblers?  Yes, is the answer according to research done in the field.  “Our results suggest that gamblers are more willing to bet impulsively on perceived illusory patterns,” stated co-lead author Wolfgang Gaissmaier in a press release.”  Gamblers see patterns in random events according to the researchers, and this phenomenon can be considered a cognitive distortion that leads to dysfunctional behavior (pathological gambling).  Do all of us do this to some extent?  Of course we often believe that sports teams are on a winning or losing streak or that the results of some recurring events show a pattern.

SOURCE

Time Magazine, April 30, 2015 by Kevin McSpadden

LINK TO RESOURCE

http://time.com/3841369/gamblers-gambling-addiction-gaming-patterns/

(shortened url)   http://tinyurl.com/kf38up9

ORIGINAL STUDY

Wolfgang Gaissmaier, Andreas Wilke, Benjamin Scheibehenne, Paige McCanney, H. Clark Barrett. (2015)  Betting on Illusory Patterns: Probability Matching in Habitual Gamblers. Journal of Gambling Studies, 2015; DOI: 10.1007/s10899-015-9539-9

CLASS DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
•Ask the students if they have ever gambled at casinos, sports pools (football and NCAA), horse races, and so on.   Have they ever gotten caught up in believing that there is a pattern to the wins and/or losses?  Have they ever gotten into trouble because of this?
•Discuss gambler’s fallacies such as events that must change after a series of wins or losses.  For example, gamblers are known to double down after each loss believing that their luck will change after a series of losses and will then hit the big payoff.
•Ask the students what they would predict as the next coin toss if 5 tails in a row were thrown.  Would they predict heads?
•As a professor, have you ever believed that some students look for patterns in a multiple choice test to predict the answer for a particular question.
•Cite the symptoms of the DSM 5 for gambling disorder.  Ask the students if they know someone who fits the pattern.  Is gambling an addiction?
•Discuss therapies for gambling disorder.