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Updated: Jun 26, 2026
13:04
Measuring the Subjective Value of Risky and Ambiguous Options using Experimental Economics and Functional MRI Methods
Published on: September 19, 2012
Active involvement, not illusory control, increases risk taking in a gambling game
Frederic Martinez1, Jean-Francois Bonnefon, Julie Hoskens
1Institut de Psychologie, Université de Lyon, Lyon, France. frederic.martinez@ish-lyon.cnrs.fr
Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology (2006)
|January 7, 2009
Summary
Player choice in gambling increases illusory control but not risk-taking. Physical involvement with devices raises risk-taking, but not through illusory control, impacting problem gambling research.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Behavioral Economics
Background:
- Understanding risk-taking behavior in gambling is crucial for addressing problem gambling.
- The roles of player agency (choice) and interaction (involvement) in gambling risk are not fully understood.
- Illusory control, the belief in influencing random outcomes, is a proposed mechanism influencing gambling behavior.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the influence of choice and involvement on risk-taking in gambling.
- To examine whether illusory control mediates the relationship between choice/involvement and risk-taking.
Main Methods:
- A laboratory experiment was conducted with 100 participants.
- Participants engaged in gambling tasks where choice and involvement were manipulated.
- Measures included risk-taking propensity, illusory control, and perceived luck.
Main Results:
- Choice significantly increased illusory control, but this did not lead to increased risk-taking.
- Involvement significantly increased risk-taking behavior.
- The effect of involvement on risk-taking was not mediated by illusory control.
Conclusions:
- Choice and involvement have distinct effects on gambling risk-taking.
- Illusory control may not be the primary mediator for involvement-driven risk, suggesting other factors like arousal are at play.
- Findings have implications for understanding problem gambling, personal luck beliefs, and arousal theories.
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