Introduction
Despite being on the losing spree, the people might gamble more with the hope that they will win the next game. Even the sweet memories of the past victories force the people to play more. A recent study has revealed this trend. The authors of this study have published the outcome of this study in the Journal of Experimental Psychology. In this article, we would be looking at the interesting findings brought out by this interesting study.
Recent Study
The study found that people chose to go in for further plays when the scientists reminded or primed them of past winning outcomes. It has found that people were over 15% more likely to play more by selecting the risky option. The research team from the University for Warwick in Britain believe that memories of the people play a crucial role in making certain decisions. When the team interviewed people who are in the habit of gambling, they found that subtle cues about the past victories play a significant role in propelling them forward to gamble more. This is clearer in people who go for gambling in local casinos. The gamblers even place millions of dollars in cash on the table for the final showdown in some poker tournaments with the hope that they would win in the next game.
Hypothesis
The researchers had come with the hypothesis that memory of winning outcomes in the past forced the people go for more gambling in casinos and risk lots of money on the table. The results of the study more or less confirm the roles these cues play in forcing the people to play more, risking their money. In order to cross check the hypothesis, the researchers manipulated the memory of the participants for past winning outcomes with simple risky choice tasks. The researchers achieved this by asking the participants to select one of the two doors as part of a computer test.
Testing Technique
The authors of the study gave the participants the choice of four coloured doors to select from. Three of the doors always led to guaranteed outcomes (0, 40 or 80). On the other hand, the fourth door led to a risky 50/50 outcome that carried 20 or 60 points. Later in the study, the team members reminded the participants about their past winning or losing outcome based on the points that they got, depending upon the door they opened. When the team members told the participants about the points they had got, they tended to go towards the risky door more often.
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