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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 21, 2026

Measuring the Subjective Value of Risky and Ambiguous Options using Experimental Economics and Functional MRI Methods

Measuring the Subjective Value of Risky and Ambiguous Options using Experimental Economics and Functional MRI Methods

Published on: September 19, 2012

Contingency Enhances Sensitivity to Loss in a Gambling Task with Diminishing Returns.

Jonathan R Miller¹, Iser G DeLeon², Lisa M Toole³

¹The Kennedy Krieger Institute and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

The Psychological Record

|May 17, 2016

Summary

Participants with a history of contingent token delivery gambled less than those without. Prior contingent delivery and effort enhance value, influencing sensitivity to gambling losses.

Keywords:

gambling reinforcer value stimulus value within-trial contrast

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Area of Science:

Behavioral economics
Decision-making under risk

Background:

Previous research indicates that contingent reinforcement and effort can enhance the perceived value of rewards.
Understanding how these factors influence gambling behavior is crucial for developing effective interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate differences in gambling behavior under diminishing returns between participants with contingent (CD) and noncontingent (NCD) token delivery histories.
To examine the influence of prior token delivery history on sensitivity to financial loss during gambling.

Main Methods:

Two groups of participants (CD and NCD) accrued tokens through different methods in Phase 1.
In Phase 2, participants engaged in a gambling task with incrementally increasing probabilities of loss, choosing to gamble or cash out.
Gambling behavior and its correlation with token accrual costs were analyzed.

Main Results:

Participants in the contingent delivery (CD) group gambled on significantly fewer trials compared to the noncontingent delivery (NCD) group.
For the CD group, the number of trials and duration of token accrual positively correlated with net tokens, but not for the NCD group.
These findings suggest that prior contingent delivery and effort influence gambling behavior and sensitivity to loss.

Conclusions:

Histories of contingent reinforcement and effort appear to enhance the value associated with tokens, leading to reduced gambling behavior under conditions of increasing loss probability.
These findings provide evidence that past experiences shape an individual's risk-taking propensity and sensitivity to financial losses in gambling contexts.