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Speed-accuracy tradeoff in decision-making performance among pathological gamblers.
Semion Kertzman1, Michael Vainder, Tali Vishne
1The Rehovot Community Mental Health and Rehabilitation Clinic affiliated to Be'er Ya'akov-Ness Ziona Medical Complex, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel. kertzman@animascan.com
European Addiction Research
|November 6, 2009
Summary
Pathological gamblers make more errors and do not respond faster than healthy individuals, indicating impaired decision-making. This study used the Matching Familiar Figures Test (MFFT) to assess reflection-impulsivity.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Pathological gambling is an impulse control disorder.
- Limited research exists on gambling behavior and decision-making in non-time-limited scenarios.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between gambling behavior and impulsive decision-making.
- To assess reflection-impulsivity in pathological gamblers versus controls.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the Matching Familiar Figures Test (MFFT).
- Compared pathological gamblers (n=82) with demographically matched healthy controls (n=82).
Main Results:
- Pathological gamblers made significantly more errors than controls (p=0.01).
- No significant difference in response time was observed between groups (p=0.49).
- Impaired performance in pathological gamblers was not due to a speed-accuracy trade-off.
Conclusions:
- Pathological gamblers exhibit diminished decision-making, making more errors without faster responses.
- Findings support previous research on impaired decision-making in pathological gamblers.
- Further research with larger sample sizes is needed to confirm MFFT performance results.
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