Search

The Pathways Model of problem gambling has become a highly influential framework in the field of gambling studies. This special issue commemorates 20 years since the publication of the original paper, highlighting the sustained impact of the Pathways Model across the broader and emergent field of behavioral addictions. As a framework, the Pathways Model set out two distinct objectives: first, to synthesize an array of risk factors and psychological processes that have been implicated in the etiology of gambling problems, and second, to characterize heterogeneity among people with gambling problems. As the articles included in this collection confirm, the three subtypes proposed by Blaszczynski & Nower continue to be an especially powerful stimulus for research.

Neuroscience research on gambling, including neuropsychological, neuroimaging, and psychophysiological experiments, is often regarded as aligned with the ‘brain disease model of addictions’. We assert that a bio-psycho-social framework represents the consensus view of disordered gambling, giving equal weighting to biological and psychosocial predisposing factors (and their interactions). Within this framework, we highlight three ways in which neuroscience can inform gambling research - none of which rely on one’s endorsement of biological ‘causal explanations’: i) as a toolbox of objective measures for studying gambling behaviour, ii) as a way of understanding treatment mechanisms, of both psychological and biological treatments, iii) as a way of probing the impact of gambling product features relevant to gambling policy.

Stopping devices are a structural characteristic of modern slot machines that enable the player to brake the spinning reels manually, but with no influence on the predetermined outcome. This study ...

Impairments in inhibitory control characterize a range of addictive behaviours including gambling disorder. This study investigated the relationship between a neuropsychological measure of inhibitory control and behaviour on a simulated slot machine that included a measure of gambling persistence, in a non-clinical sample of regular gamblers. Regular gamblers (n = 75) performed a laboratory slot machine task for 30 trials where they could win real money, followed by a persistence phase under extinction (i.e. without wins). Participants also completed a stop-signal task, along with measures of gambling-related cognitions, social desirability, and symptoms of disordered gambling. In hierarchical regression models, reduced inhibitory control was found to predict greater persistence and a higher subjective desire to play again after both wins and near-misses (i.e. unsuccessful outcomes close to the jackpot). These data illustrate the impact of low inhibitory control on relevant behavioural tendencies in a gr...

Individually, both near-misses and losses disguised as wins (LDWs) have been seen to exert pro-motivational effects on gambling. However, it is not clear whether both structural characteristics are effective within the same game. Participants (n = 40) played a slot machine simulation. The simulation delivered near-misses, wins and ‘full-misses’. Half the participants also received LDWs that occurred independently of the outcomes on the payline. Valence and motivation ratings were collected after each round. Results showed that the LDW group reported increased valence ratings compared to the no-LDW group. Within the LDW group, trials with LDWs also resulted in increased enjoyment compared to trials without LDWs. We distinguished near-misses falling either side of the payline. Near-misses before the payline (NMB) were rated as more motivational than near-misses after the payline (NMA), whereas NMAs were rated as more aversive than NMBs. These differences between the two near-miss types were exacerbated by LDWs. Results demonstrate LDWs increase the trial-by-trial enjoyment of non-win outcomes. The motivational and hedonic effects of near-misses differed for events either side of the payline, and these differences were exaggerated by the presence of LDWs. Thus, near-misses can retain their effectiveness in complex forms of gambling that also deliver LDWs.