Non-gamblers might wonder what is so appealing about penny-falls, slot machines, horse racing, casinos, sports betting, the pools, the lottery, roulette or blackjack? The answer may lie in the impression that a big win might result from a proportionately smaller amount of money. The reasoning brain knows this is not true in the long run, but when in the grips of a gambling addiction, all reason melts away. I decided to research into gambling obsession for one of my writing projects.
Are slot machines a type of classical conditioning? Operant Conditioning Classical and Operant Conditioning are both forms of associative learning studied in behaviorism.
Limitations of Classical Conditioning o All classically conditioned responses must involve a reflex o Therefore, what can be learned is limited o So, how do animals and humans learns things that are not associated with reflexes? Thorndike (1874-1949) § Law of Effect § Thorndike’s principle that behaviors followed by favorable consequences become more likely, and behaviors.
(Slot‐machine players can attest to this fact.) Interstimulus time, the time between presentations of a given stimulus, can also be important in both classical and operant conditioning. Optimal conditions can be determined for a particular situation. Factors that influence performance.
Why People Enjoy Betting
According to the BBC, there are around 350,000 people with some sort of gambling problem in the UK. In the US, the figure is 6% of the adult population (BBC, 2010). Those afflicted typically spend too much time and money on gambling activities, seeing a big win as further opportunity to gamble rather than a reason to stop.
The Lure of Gambling Online
Eye-catching graphics, spinning wheels and close-wins keep gamblers motivated and playing. Rewards, no matter how small create a pleasure sensation in the brain, a form of operant conditioning (explained in a moment). What could be more satisfying for a gambler nursing a slot machine all evening than the sound of clattering coins in the tray? With online gambling on the rise, there is an equivalent sound and graphic to spur the gambler on. Such rewards create an altered psychological state that becomes addictive. This part interested me. How could I describe this altered state of mind for the reader, even though I do not have a gambling habit myself?
Why People Play Gambling Games
On closer inspection, I learned that gambling companies use every trick in the book to keep their customers betting, such as the following:
The ambient atmosphere of casinos and arcades relax the customer and make the activity feel more private. It is easy to lose track of time when in an intimate setting.
Some casinos offer free drinks and cheap buffet meals and place chairs only at slot machines or tables. This might compel a tired customer to sit and relax, and perhaps have a flutter.
Loyal customers earn free or cheap ‘play time’ which implies the customer is getting a great deal from the establishment’s facilities, but in fact loses out.
Exchanging money for chips or vouchers to spend in casinos takes away the reality of what is lost, as the plastic lacks the feel of real money.
Problem with Gambling
Although not a gambling addict myself, like many people, have found certain things addictive. Take Tetris for one. In pure operant Pavlovian style I have experienced the surge of satisfaction each time a row of tiles flicker away. Two hours can seem fleeting whilst playing Tetris. Little better was Angry Birds and Bejeweled. The bright graphics and the little fanfairs create that altered psychological state that gamblers are addicted to.
Operant Conditioning and Gambling Rewards
Such a reward from a stimulus can be taken as a form of operant conditioning, as put forward by behaviorist B F Skinner. (see diagram). By using a simple stimulus coupled with punishment or reward as a consequence could encourage a certain mode of behavior.
Operant conditioning can be seen when a parent rewards a child with a bar of chocolate every time he completes his homework.
oAll classically conditioned responses must involve a reflex
oTherefore, what can be learned is limited
oSo, how do animals and humans learns things that are not associated with reflexes?
§Law of Effect
§Thorndike’s principle that behaviors followed by favorable consequences become more likely, and behaviors followed by unfavorable consequences become less likely
oE.L. Thorndike (1898)
oPuzzle boxes and cats
§B.F. Skinner (1904-1990)
§elaborated Thorndike’s Law of Effect
§developed behavioral technology
Classical Conditioning And Slot Machines
§Skinner Box
§chamber with a bar or key that an animal manipulates to obtain a food or water reinforcer
§contains devices to record responses
§Reinforcer
§any event that strengthens or increases the rate of the behavior it follows
§It can be either positive (pleasurable) or
§Negative (unpleasureable)
oFriend increasingly talks about sports (increase in a positive reinforcer– attention)
oParent increasingly yells or hits child (decrease in a negative reinforcer—tantrum)
oKeep playing slot machine after winning some money (increase after positive--$)
oHusband increases housework after continually being rewarded by wife….
§Primary Reinforcer
§innately reinforcing stimulus
§i.e., satisfies a biological need
§Conditioned or Secondary Reinforcer
§stimulus that gains its reinforcing power through its association with primary reinforcer
For example:money
oCan connect or chain secondary reinforcers together
nIf I work hard I get credit points which lead to money which lead to pleasure
nIf the rat pulls a string it lowers a bar which when pressed leads to food
§operant conditioning procedure in which reinforcers guide behavior toward closer approximations of a desired goal
