BACKGROUND AND AIMS Cues associated with winning may encourage gambling. We assessed the effects on risky choice of slot machine of: 1) neutral sounds paired with winning, 2) casino-related cues (such as the sound of coins dropping and pictures of dollar signs), and 3) relative payouts. DESIGN Experimental studies in which participants repeatedly chose between safer and riskier simulated slot machines. Safer slot machines paid the same amount regardless of which symbols lined up. Risky machines paid different amounts depending on which symbols lined up. Effects of initially-neutral sounds paired with the best payout were assessed between-groups (Experiment 1a) and within-participants (Experiment 1b). In Experiment 2, pairing of casino-related audiovisual cues with payout was assessed within participants, and cue timing was assessed between groups. SETTING A university research laboratory in Edmonton, Canada. PARTICIPANTS Undergraduate students (N=692, 69% female, mean age 19 years). MEASUREMENTS Preference for riskier over safer machines, preference between machines that differed in cues, payout recall, and frequency estimates for payouts. Risky choice was calculated as the proportion of choices of the risky machine when presented with a fixed machine of the same expected value. FINDINGS In Experiment 1a, risky choice was slightly increased by pairing a sound with the best payout compared with pairing the sound with a lower payout (p=.04, d=0.28) but not compared with no sound (p=.36, d=0.13, BF10 =0.22). In Experiment 1b, people did not prefer a machine with a best-payout sound over one with a lower-payout sound (p=.67, d=0.03, BF10 =0.11). Relative payout affected choice: risky choices were higher for high-payout than low-payout decisions (p<.001, d=0.53). In Experiment 2, people preferred machines with casino-related cues paired with winning (p <.001, r2 =.11), and cue timing (at choice or concurrently with the win) had no effect (p=.95, r2 =.0, BF10 =.05). Casino-related cues also enhanced payout memory (p=.013 and.006). Cue effects were not specific to risk: people also preferred fixed-payout machines with casino-related cues (p<.001, r2 =.16). CONCLUSIONS In a gambling simulation, student participants chose more risky slot machines when payouts were relatively higher and when casino-related cues were associated with payouts. Pairing a neutral sound with the best payout did not consistently affect slot machine choice, and the effect of casino cues did not depend on their timing. Casino-related cues enhanced payout memory.

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获胜提示和相对支出对模拟老虎机之间选择的影响

背景和目的 与获胜相关的提示可能会鼓励赌博。我们评估了以下因素对老虎机风险选择的影响：1) 与获胜配对的中性声音，2) 与赌场相关的提示（例如硬币掉落的声音和美元符号的图片），以及 3) 相对支出。设计实验研究，参与者在更安全和风险更高的模拟老虎机之间反复选择。无论排列哪个符号，更安全的老虎机都支付相同的金额。风险机器根据排列的符号支付不同的金额。在组间（实验 1a）和参与者内部（实验 1b）评估了初始中性声音与最佳支付配对的效果。在实验 2 中，在参与者内部评估了与赌场相关的视听提示与支出的配对，并在组之间评估了提示时间。设置在加拿大埃德蒙顿的大学研究实验室。参与者 本科生（N=692，69% 女性，平均年龄 19 岁）。测量 对风险较高的机器的偏好、对提示不同的机器的偏好、支出召回和支出频率估计。风险选择被计算为当面对具有相同期望值的固定机器时风险机器的选择比例。发现 在实验 1a 中，通过将具有最佳收益的声音与将具有较低收益的声音配对 (p=.04, d=0.28) 来稍微增加风险选择，但与没有声音相比 (p=.36, d =0.13，BF10 =0.22）。在实验 1b 中，人们不喜欢声音最好的机器而不是声音较低的机器（p=.67，d=0.03，BF10 =0.11）。相对支付影响选择：高支出决策的风险选择高于低支出决策（p<.001，d=0.53）。在实验 2 中，人们更喜欢带有与赌场相关的提示与获胜配对的机器（p <.001，r2 = .11），提示时间（选择或与获胜同时进行）没有影响（p=.95，r2 = .0，BF10 = .05）。与赌场相关的线索也增强了支出记忆（p=.013 和.006）。提示效应并非特定于风险：人们也更喜欢带有赌场相关提示的固定支出机器（p<.001，r2 =.16）。结论 在赌博模拟中，当支出相对较高且与赌场相关的提示与支出相关时，学生参与者选择了风险更大的老虎机。将中性声音与最佳支出配对并不会始终影响老虎机的选择，并且赌场提示的效果并不取决于它们的时间。