[Close-to-win evaluations are affected by the outcome and delay between stopping the wheels in slot machines].

INTRODUCTION: Distinct structural characteristics of gambling may affect the development of gambling addiction differently. The current study is dealing with the frequency of near-miss outcomes which works like secondary reinforcement and thus may contribute to gambling addiction. Authors of this paper argue that different near miss configurations should specifically alter the experiences of the player and this phenomenon can be proved experimentally Methods: Participants played with a computer-simulated slot machine. They had to evaluate how close they felt to winning in a given round. Evaluation was carried out on a scale in which the "not at all" and "very close" options signified the two endpoints (0 to 100) of the scale. Participants were grouped by delay times in the game. They were randomly assigned to a100ms or a 1000ms delay groups, where longer delay made participants feel themselves closer to a win in case of specific outcomes. RESULTS: There was a clear pattern of the close-to-win evaluations in the study. The quantitative analysis indicated heterogenity in the evaluations of "near-miss" outcomes. Evidently winning outcomes were rated to be closest to a win. Losing outcomes' ratings on the other hand, were more heterogenous. The first type of "near-miss" configuration caused the feeling of close-to-win significantly more in the participants than the second type of "near-miss" configuration or full loss outcomes. The second type of "near-miss" configuration also significantly elevated the feelings of close-to-win than the full loss outcomes. The delay time in itself did not prove to have a major effect, but the first type of the near-miss configuration influenced the feeling of close-to-win significantly more. CONSEQUENCES: These results stress the importance to reconstruct patients' cognitive distortions during cognitive therapy of gambling addictions.

[Near miss outcomes in gambling games].

BACKGROUND: Games of chance operate with an intermittent reinforcement schedule in which the number of games takes the player to win differ in each turn thus they can not predict when the next positive reinforcement arrives. The near miss outcome (close to winning but actually a losing outcome) can be interpreted as a secondary (built in) reinforcement within variable ratio reinforcement schedule that presumably contribute to the development and maintanance of gambling addiction. METHODS: The aim of this publication would be to introduce near miss outcomes and to summarize and critically analyze literature connected to this issue.We searched internet datebases using word "near miss" and analyse articles focusing on gambling games. RESULTS: Based on numerous authors' results a near miss rate set at around 30% increases the desire to continue playing among gamblers and players who have no former gambling experience as well. CONCLUSIONS: Some studies have demonstrated that this effect might be related to the extent the player has the situation under control during the gambling session. The hypothetical inhibiting effect of a 45% near miss ratio has not yet been proven. Neurobiological researches show middle-cerebral activity during near miss outcomes furthermore similar physiological patterns have been discovered following a near miss and winning outcomes. Regarding the connection between intrapsychic variables (cognitive and personality factors) and near misses there are very few studies. The fact that different authors interpret near miss outcomes differently even when studying the same game leads to problems in interpreting their results. It follows from the foregoing empirical results that near miss outcomes contribute to the development and maintanance of pathological gambling but we have little information on the factors implementing this effect.

Can we perceive near miss? An empirical study.

Near misses are a special kind of reinforcement which increases one's desire to play. The aim of this paper is to examine the perception of near misses in normal population. We used a slot machine simulation running on a PC, where participants had to play four rounds with different near miss ratios (0, 15, 30 and 45%). Our sample consisted of 159 individuals with mean age of 22.8 and with no or little gambling experience. For data analysis we used chi-squared goodness-of-fit test and exact binomial test. Despite the fact, that there was a notable effect of near misses results showed that the subjects could not perceive trials of them.

Personality Traits as Predictors of Malevolent Creative Ideation in Offenders.

Malevolent creativity, which can be defined as creativity that is deliberately planned to damage others, is a concept that explains how the capacity to generate novel and effective outcomes (creativity) may, on occasion, be misapplied. The present study used 130 male inmates of the Oradea Maximum Security Penitentiary in Romania to explore the ability of a set of personality variables (the dark triad, self-efficacy, and self-esteem) to predict malevolent creative ideation. The findings indicate that Machiavellianism and self-efficacy were significant predictors of malevolent creative ideation in the form of lying, while only Machiavellianism was a significant predictor of malevolent creative ideation in the form of hurting people. In addition, the present study found significant differences among subgroups in the sample, with more experienced offenders showing higher levels of malevolent creative ideation.