Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 31, 2026
The Joint Effect of Social Comparison and Social Distance on Evaluation of Intertemporal Choice Outcomes in Event-related Potential Studies
Published on: August 25, 2023
Ability to use the wait-and-see strategy in pathological gamblers
Semion Kertzman1, Michael Vainder2, Tali Visne3
1Research Department, Beer Yaakov/Ness Ziona Mental Health Centre, P.O. Box 1, Beer Yaakov 70350, Israel; Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Israel; Division of Forensic Psychiatry, Beer Yaakov-Ness Ziona Mental Health Centre, Israel.
Pathological gamblers (PGs) showed no differences in response inhibition compared to healthy controls (HC) on a modified Stop Signal Task. PGs could adjust their strategy to reduce errors, suggesting intact online response manipulation.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychology
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Pathological gambling (PG) is associated with neurocognitive deficits.
- Inhibition control, particularly "waiting ability," is crucial for impulse regulation.
- Previous research suggests differences in neurocognitive performance between pathological gamblers and healthy controls.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate "waiting ability" in male pathological gamblers (PGs) compared to healthy controls (HC).
- To assess response inhibition using a modified Stop Signal Task (SST).
Main Methods:
- A modified Stop Signal Task (SST) was administered to 55 male PGs and 53 HC.
- Key metrics included reaction times, response variability, false alarms, and misses.
Main Results:
- No significant differences were found between PGs and HC in reaction times or response variability.
- The number of false alarms and misses did not differ between the two groups.
- PGs demonstrated an ability to adjust their strategy to minimize false alarms.
Conclusions:
- Pathological gamblers (PGs) do not exhibit impairments in online response strategy manipulation during the SST.
- PGs can adapt their strategy to reduce errors, indicating intact flexibility in task performance.
- Further research is needed to elucidate the neural underpinnings of impulsivity in pathological gambling.
