Abstract
This paper examined the nature of irrational gambling-related cognitions in a sample of 926 adolescents (mean age = 14.5 years) sampled from Australian schools. Students were differentiated according to gambling status and administered a series of items that assessed their understanding of objective odds, the nature of randomness, the role of skill in gambling, and the perceived profitability of gambling. The results confirmed previous findings that problem gamblers tend to be more irrational in their perceptions, as indicated by stronger beliefs in the role of skilful play in chance activities, and that gambling is a potentially profitable activity. However, counter intuitively, problem gamblers did not appear to have any poorer understanding of objective probabilities. These results are discussed in terms of Sevigny and Ladouceur’s (2004) concept of cognitive switching as well as psychological research concerning the role of emotional and motivational factors in the development of an illusion of control. The implications of these findings for gambling education programs are discussed.
Similar content being viewed by others
Notes
The study sample has 51.1% (n = 473) males and 48.4% (n = 448) females. Comparatively, the gender proportions of the total ACT secondary school population in 2003 comprised 50.8% males (n = 14,454) and 49.2% females (n = 13,998).
References
Ackerman, R., & DeRubeis, R. J. (1991). Is depressive realism real? Clinical Psychology Review, 11, 565–584.
Benhsain, K., & Ladouceur, R. (in press). Knowledge in statistics and erroneous perceptions in gambling. Gambling Research, 16, 25–31.
Ben-Tovim, D., Esterman, A., Tolchard, B., Battersby, M., & Flinders Technologies. 2001. The victorian gambling screen: Project report. Melbourne: Gambling Research Panel.
Biner, P. M., Angle, S. T., Park, J. H., Mellinger, A. E., & Barber, B. C. (1995). Need and the illusion of control. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 21, 899–907.
Bouts, P., & Van Avermaet, E. (1992). Drawing familiar or unfamiliar cards: Stimulus familiarity, chance orientation, and the illusion of control. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 18, 331–335.
Delfabbro, P., & Thrupp, L. (2003). The social determinants of youth gambling in South Australian adolescents. Journal of Adolescence, 26, 313–330.
Delfabbro, P. H., Lahn, J., & Grabosky, P. (submitted) Further evidence concerning the prevalence of adolescent gambling and problem gambling in Australia: A study of the ACT.
Delfabbro, P. H. (2004). The stubborn logic of regular gamblers: obstacles and dilemmas in cognitive gambling research. Journal of Gambling Studies, 20, 1–17.
Derevensky, J., Gupta, R., & Winters, K. (2003). Prevalence rates of youth gambling problems: Are the current rates inflated? Journal of Gambling Studies, 19(4), 405–425.
Di Clemente, C., Story, M., & Murray, K. (2000). “On a Roll”: The process of initiation and cessation of problem gambling among adolescents. Journal of Gambling Studies, 16, 289–313.
Dixon, M. R., Hayes, L., & Aban, I. (2000). Examining the roles of rule following, reinforcement and preexperimental histories in risk-taking behavior. The Psychological Record, 50, 687–704.
Eggert, K. (2004). Truth in gaming: Toward consumer protection in the gambling industry. Maryland Law Review, 63, 217–286.
Evans, R. (2003). Some theoretical models and constructs generic to substance abuse prevention programs for adolescents: Possible relevance and limitations for problem gambling. Journal of Gambling Studies, 19, 287–302.
Ferland, F., Ladouceur, R., & Vitaro, F. (2002). Prevention of problem gambling: Modifying misconceptions and increasing knowledge. Journal of Gambling Studies, 18, 19–30.
Fisher, S. (1992). Measuring pathological gambling in children: The case of fruit machines in the U.K. Journal of Gambling Studies, 8, 263–285.
Fisher, S. (2000). Developing the DSM-IV criteria to identify adolescent problem gamblers in non-clinical populations. Journal of Gambling Studies, 16, 253–273.
Friedland, M., Kleinan, G., & Regev, Y. (1991). Controlling the uncontrollable: Effects of stress on perceptions of controllability. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 63, 923–931.
Glass, L. (2004). Dicey dealings: Responsible gambling education strategy. Adelaide, Australia: Department of Education and Children’s Services.
Griffiths M. (1995). Adolescent gambling. London and New York: Routledge.
Gupta, R., & Derevensky, J. (1998). Adolescent gambling behavior: A prevalence study and examination of the correlates associated with problem gambling. Journal of Gambling Studies, 14, 319–345.
Herman, J., Gupta, R., & Derevensky, J. (1998). Children’s cognitive perceptions of 6/49 lottery tickets. Journal of Gambling Studies, 14, 227–244.
Jefferson, S., & Nicki, R. (2003). A new instrument to measure cognitive distortions in video lottery terminal users: The Informational Biases Scale (IBS). Journal of Gambling Studies, 19, 387–403.
Joukhador, J., Blaszczynski, A., & Maccallum, F. (2004). Superstitious beliefs in gambling among problem and non-problem gamblers: Preliminary data. Journal of Gambling Studies, 20, 171–180.
Kahneman, D., & Tversky, A. (1972). Subjective probability: A judgement of representativeness. Cognitive Psychology, 3, 430–454.
Ladouceur, R., Gaboury, A., Bujold, A., Lachance, N., & Tremblay, S. (1991). Ecological validity of laboratory studies of videopoker gaming. Journal of Gambling Studies, 7, 109–116.
Ladouceur, R., Dugas, M. J., Freeston, M. H., Léger, E., Gagnon, F., Thibodeau, N., & Boisvert, J.-M. (2000). Effectiveness of a new cognitive-behavioral treatment for generalized anxiety disorder: Evaluation in a controlled clinical trial. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 68, 957–964.
Ladouceur, R. (2004). Perceptions among pathological and non-pathological gamblers. Addictive Behaviors, 29, 555–565.
Ladouceur, R., Sylvain, C., Boutin, C., Lachance, S., Doucet, C., Leblond, J., & Jacques, C. (2001). Cognitive treatment of pathological gambling. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 189, 766–773.
Ladouceur, R., Sylvain, C., Boutin, C., Lachance, S., Doucet, C., & Leblond, J. (2003). Group therapy for pathological gamblers : A cognitive approach. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 41, 587–596.
Ladouceur, R., & Gaboury, A. (1988). Effects of limited and unlimited stakes on gambling behavior. Journal of Gambling Behavior, 4, 119–126.
Ladouceur, R., Gaboury, A., Dumont, D, & Rochette, P. (1988). Gambling: Relationship between the frequency of wins and irrational thinking. Journal of Psychology, 122, 409–414.
Langer, E. J. (1975). The illusion of control. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 32, 311–328.
Langer, E. J., & Roth, J. (1975). Heads you win, tails it’s chance: The illusion of control as a function of the sequence of outcomes in a purely chance task. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 32, 951–955.
Lesieur, H. R. (1984). The chase: Career of the compulsive gambler (2nd ed.), Rochester, Vermont: Schenkman Books Inc.
Lesieur, H. R., & Blume, S. (1987). The South Oaks Gambling Screen (the SOGS): a new instrument for the identification of pathological gamblers. American Journal of Psychiatry, 144, 1184–1188.
Raylu, N., & Oei, T. P. S. (2004). The Gambling Related Cognitions Scale (GRCS): Development, confirmatory factor validation and psychometric properties. Addiction, 99, 1–12.
Saskatchewan Health (1999). Gambling: Reducing the risks: A problem gambling prevention teaching resource to support middle level health education.
Sevigny, S., & Ladouceur, R. (2004). Gamblers’ irrational thinking about chance events: The “double switching” concept. International Gambling Studies, 3, 163–170.
Sharpe, L., & Tarrier, N. (1993). Towards a cognitive-behavioural theory of problem gambling. British Journal of Psychiatry, 162, 407–412.
Thompson, S. C., Armstrong, W., & Thomas, C. (1998). Illusions of control, underestimations, and accuracy: A control heuristic explanation. Psychological Bulletin, 123, 143–161.
Toneatto, T., Blitz-Miller, T., Calderwood, K., Dragonetti, R., & Tsanos, A. (1997). Cognitive distortions in heavy gambling. Journal of Gambling Studies, 13, 253–266.
Wagenaar, W. A. (1988). Paradoxes of gambling behaviour. Hillsdale NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Walker, M. B. (1992a). The psychology of gambling. Sydney: Pergamon Press.
Walker, M. B. (1992b). Irrational thinking among slot machine players. Journal of Gambling Studies, 8, 245–288.
Wasserman, E. A., & Neunaber, D. J. (1986). College students’ responding to and rating of contingency relations: The role of temporal contiguity. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 46, 15–35.
Wood, R., & Griffiths, M. (2002). Adolescent perceptions of the National Lottery and scratchcards: A qualitative study using group interviews. Journal of Adolescence, 25, 655–668.
Acknowledgements
This project was supported by ARC Linkage Grant LP0348759. The authors are grateful to the support provided by the ACT Gambling and Racing Commission, ACT Department of Education and Training, Catholic Education Office and Association of Independent Schools.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Delfabbro, P., Lahn, J. & Grabosky, P. It’s Not What You Know, but How You Use It: Statistical Knowledge and Adolescent Problem Gambling. J Gambl Stud 22, 179–193 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-006-9009-5
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-006-9009-5