Abstract
This study compared the cognitive and behavioral components of videopoker players under laboratory and natural settings. Twenty regular gamblers (19 men and 1 woman) were matched into two groups on age and on frequency of gambling. Irrational verbalizations during gambling, monetary risk (number of bets doubled and number of tokens bet), and motivation served as dependent variables. Results showed no significant differences between laboratory and natural settings for the number of inadequate verbalizations, bets doubled, and motivation. The amount of money gambled was greater in the laboratory than in the natural setting. The practical and theoretical implications of these results are discussed according to the ecological validity of gambling studies conducted in laboratory settings.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Anderson, G., & Brown, R.I.F. (1984). Real and laboratory gambling, sensation-seeking and arousal.British Journal of Psychology, 75, 401–410.
Biggers, T. & Walker, B. (1984). The environment as information—An examination of the mechanism of environmental effect on behavior.Psychology—A Quarterly Journal of Human Behavior, 21, 19–27.
Blascovich, J. (1976). Blackjack, choice shifts in the field.Sociometry, 39, 274–276.
Dumont, M., & Ladouceur, R. (1990). Evaluation of motivation among video-poker players.Psychological Reports, 66, 95–98.
Gaboury, A., & Ladouceur, R. (1989). Erroneous perceptions and gambling.Journal of Social Behavior and Personality, 4, 411–420.
Gaboury, A., Ladouceur, R., Beauvais, G., Marchand, L., & Martineau, Y. (1988). Dimensions cognitives et comportementales chez les joueurs réguliers et occasionnels au Blackjack.International Journal of Psychology, 23, 283–291.
Gilovich, T. (1983). Biased evaluation and persistence in gambling.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 44, 1110–1126.
Kazdin, A.E. (1979). Situational specificity: The two-edged sword of behavioral assessment.Behavioral Assessment, 1, 57–75.
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., & Duval, C. (1988). Modifications des verbalisations irrationnelles pendant le jeu de roulette américaine et prise de risque monétaire.Science et Comportement, 18, 58–68.
Ladouceur, R., Mayrand, M., & Tourigny, Y. (1987). Risk taking behavior in gamblers and non-gamblers during prolonged exposure.Journal of Gambling Behavior, 3, 115–122.
Ladouceur, R., Tourigny, M., & Mayrand, M. (1986). Familiarity, group exposure and risking behavior in gambling.The Journal of Psychology, 120, 45–49.
Leary, K., & Dickerson, M. (1985). Levels of arousal in high and low-frequency gamblers.Behaviour Research and Theory, 23, 635–640.
Perkins, D.N. (1979).A primer on introspection. Communication presented at the American Theatre Association Convention, New York.
Robert, M. (1988).Fondements et étapes de la recherche scientifique en psychologie (3e Éd.) Québec: Edisem.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
This study was supported in part by a grant from the Conseil de la Recherche en Sciences Humaines du Canada (410-88-0676) and from the Conseil Québécois de la Recherche Sociale (RS-1280).
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Ladouceur, R., Gaboury, A., Bujold, A. et al. Ecological validity of laboratory studies of videopoker gaming. J Gambling Stud 7, 109–116 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01014526
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01014526