Recent research shows that near misses present in gambling slot machines may not necessarily sway problem gamblers to gamble more.

One such feature that has garnered considerable scientific attention is the near-miss effect, which has been shown to contribute to the resiliency and pervasiveness of slot machine gambling (ex. Previous research in blackjack has demonstrated that gamblers report outcomes that are closer to wins when the player's total approximates the dealer's total. However, additional comparisons, such. Canadian researchers have provided new evidence that gamblers interpret near-misses as frustrating losses rather than near-wins. This frustration stimulates the reward systems in the brain to. This study investigated the potential for recreational gamblers to respond as if certain types of losing slot machine outcomes were actually closer to a win than others (termed the near-miss effect). Exposure to conditional discrimination training and testing disrupted this effect for 10 of the 16 p. Near-Miss Effect Gambling Study. However, the recent study carried out by the University of Alberta disputed this. The researchers made use of homing pigeons and human subjects to carry the research. This was to solely evaluate their reactions to coming close to a big win in a simulated gambling.

Early last month, the Journal of Gambling Studies published a study showing that the slot manufacturers deliberately engineer the machines to ring even when there is no monetary payoff. Before this, studies showed that these signals motivate problem gamblers to gamble more by signaling a near miss which stimulates the brain’s reward centers. The gamblers who experience near misses may embrace them as motivating indicators, consequently raising their hopes for future triumphs. These studies had shown that the brain of these gamblers interpret near losses as wins, although they are technically losses.

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However, the recent study carried out by the University of Alberta disputed this. The researchers made use of homing pigeons and human subjects to carry the research. This was to solely evaluate their reactions to coming close to a big win in a simulated gambling environment.

According to the authors of the study, the results of the research «question the underlying premise that conditional reinforcement by near-miss stimuli increases the persistence of gambling behavior.» They further suggested that near-miss research may have been a misguided assumption from the beginning.

The authors acknowledged that near-misses could cause heightened brain activity, as well as excitement. However, this cannot directly be connected with the need to gamble. Whether or not near-misses do cause prolonged gambling cannot be adequately backed up, as these effects appear limited or non-existent at all.

Jeffrey Pislak revealed to Medical Xpress that while casinos are in no shortage of tools at their disposal to convince people to gamble, near misses may not be among them for most people. Further, he cautioned that although his group was unable to show the near-miss effect, it does not eliminate the vulnerability of gamblers to be exploited via other means.

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Counter-Argument

A study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) showed that people are likely to make riskier choices when their part of the brain that regulates the production of dopamine is in low activity. The individuals under study participated in a simulated gambling game. The results showed that these individuals were more likely to opt for risky options in moments when their neurons were in almost zero activity.

These researchers concluded that the minute-by-minute variations in the dopamine production in these subjects might be the product of evolution. This renders humans more unpredictable and places them in a better position to handle changing times.

Problem gamblers are not being swayed by “near misses” to continue using slot machines according to a new study. A recent study published in the Journal of Gambling Studies proved that slot manufacturers engineer their machines to ring even when there is no monetary payoff. Studies have suggested that the signals encourage problem gamblers to continue by signalling a “near miss”.

According to The Near-Miss Effect in Slot Machines, a review and experimental analysis over half a century later in which University of Alberta researchers used homing pigeons and human subjects in order to prove their reactions to coming close.

The authors highlighted that the results of the research “questions the underlying premise that conditional reinforcement by near-miss stimuli should increase persistence of gambling behavior” and suggested that “near-miss research may have been misguided from the start.”

Near misses can be linked with heightened brain activity as well as elevated heart rates. Researcher Jeffrey Pislak told Medical Xpress that casinos have no shortage of tools at their disposal for convincing people to part with their cash “near-misses may not be one of them for most people.”

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Pislak have cautioned that his group’s study was unable to replicate the near-miss effect “doesn’t mean people are any less vulnerable to exploitation by other means.”

Another study which was published last month in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) stated that people are prone to making riskier decisions when the area of their brain that regulates dopamine production is in a low state of activity.

Near-miss Effect Gambling Losses

The researchers deduced that the subjects minute by minute variations in dopamine production are a product of evolution which allows humans to be “more unpredictable and better able to cope with a changing world.”

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Source:https://calvinayre.com/2019/09/26/business/study-questions-slots-near-miss-problem-gambling-theory/